Paris Landing to Mountain View, MO

Paris Landing to Mountain View, MO
We are now only about 100 miles from Springfield, MO which is the home of Harry Truman. You may recall him as the “Give’m hell Harry”, or “The buck stops here” president of WWII. Times were simpler then and Harry Truman was a man for the time.
I can not recall when during this trip the topography or terrain changed so much and so radically in a single day.
First we were in the rolling hills or mountains of Western Tennessee. They were great with their hardwood forests and small farms. This was an idyllic setting which we had just left in the land between the lakes where our campground was located.
Rapidly we descended onto a plain which was the floodplain of the Mississippi River which we crossed shortly enough.
Imagine this great waterway which literally bisects the country in half from north to south and just about in the middle of the country east to west. It does not travel quickly at this point but does not meander either. It flows downstream steadily with its sandbars on either side of the banks of this great river.
Alongside the Mississippi on either side are very large farms of corn, cotton, soybeans and rice. These are really huge affairs and the land like any part of the Mississippi Delta is flat as the eye can see.
Next we venture further west on I-55 and I-60 and come to Bluffs, MO. The landscape immediately changes to hills and forest again with little farming being done. Here the terrain is one of rock with forests of large pine and hardwoods. We are now on the Ozarks Scenic Hwy and it is really spectacular with what appears to be limestone rock on the mountainsides. Now the wind has been picking up and I have had to reduce speed and so we will not arrive within the projected 65 miles of Springfield this evening. No sense in pushing it beyond what is prudent.
So after all of the small towns and the quaint sayings we are in the Ozark Mtns for the night at Mountain View. Well I see that there may be a chance of internet service this evening so I will try to post these last few blogs.
1,2,5 The roads in Missouri and Tennessee
3 The Mississippi River
4 A catfish buffet

Knoxville to Nashville to Paris Landing

Knoxville to Paris Landing TN
We left the Knoxville area in the morning amid overcast skies and headed to Nashville. There was some minor drizzle but then the skies cleared to large puffy cumulous clouds and blue all over. I had wanted to see the Tennessee State Museum, and the state capital building.
We stopped at the capital and found a parking place and took the Jeep to the museum. I’m sure glad that this was the weekend and we did not have to fight the traffic of a business day.
They had artifacts on the early Indian tribes and this was quite an area for flint stone and the making of flintstone axes, arrows and other assorted tools.
Later the days of the early settlers and the War of 1812 came here. It was during this time that Andrew Jackson led attacks on the Indians of the area and therefore pushed out the British who were their allies therefore securing Tennessee and Missouri, and then later Texas for the expansion of the US. Sam Houston and Davie Crockett were both from Tennessee also and both were instrumental in taking Texas from the Spanish and bringing it into the US.
Crockett was originally a long rifle the name given to those trappers and traders who spent one year or more hunting and trapping in the Tennessee wilderness for furs. In those days a deerskin sold for a dollar hence the name buckskin.
Because of all of the volunteers from Tennessee in these and other wars it was named the Volunteer State.
Jackson as well as being president of the US was also quite a brawler having fought in two duels and killing one man as well as being wounded in that duel himself.
Later Polk another US president was from Tennessee.
During the Civil War Tennessee was split with the West holding allegiance to the South and the eastern part to the north. Unfortunately the west was occupied by the North and the east occupied by the South so needless to say some battles were fought here.
After the war Tennessee was one of the states which had segregation and the Jim Crow laws to discriminate against blacks wanting to vote. It would take another 100 years for the US to fully allow segregation and equality for Black Americans.
The architecture of the capital is one of the best examples of the Antebellum style for a state house that can be found anywhere with those large columns.
After our visit to the capital we headed north on I-26 and then onto SR 79 to come to Paris Landing on the Tennessee River. This was a little out of our way (yeah like about 1 ½ hours out of the way). But the sign said State Campground and we took the off ramp not knowing it would be that far.
The good thing about this was that we found a wonderful place for dinner. Yass siirrr, Minnies Catfish Dinner was right plummm gooood eetin. Ann the hossspitaaality made us cuuuuntry folk rite at home. Now ya al come back ya hear, now! And we certainly would if we all were in the area because that was one great catfish buffet with desert and hush puppies and deep fried catfish and so many other things for only $8.00.
Well we waddled out of there and now it is time to say gooood night to ya al cause we are fixin to go to sleep on the biggest fullest tummy you can imagine.

1 Flintstone tools
2 Conestoga wagon
3 Tennessee the volunteer state
4 The state capital
5 The road in Tennessee

Abingdon to Knoxville

Abingdon to Knoxville, TN
We left the Food Lion in Abingdon this morning with overcast clouds and it was not long before we had rain. Entering TN we did not do any sightseeing because of the rainy weather and the sometimes wind. Finally just after passing thru Knoxville which had a quite a detour due to road construction. I had wanted to be thru that before we were stopped.
The colors of the tree leaves had improved and last night was again cold but we were ok.
Still in the rolling hill country of now TN but we skipped the birthplace of Davey Crockett and Andrew Jacksons home as well as the Smokey Mtns National Park. Ah well another trip and maybe.
Tonight we are again in WalMart due to location being too close to the city for a campground. Hopefully the weather will change tomorrow and we will move on past Nashville to Branson, MO.
Later if the rain subsides I am going to go into WalMart and look for some tennis shoes, The last pair gave out and I have been using my hiking boots which by the way thank you Timberline are very comfortable. They are even nicer in the cold weather than tennees.
Well that is all there is to say from the wet world for today.

Blue Ridge to Abingdon

Blue Ridge Pkwy to Abingdon, VA
We finished our part of the Blue Ridge Pkwy today having gone about 120 miles down this wonderful drive. On the Pkwy you are on the top of the ridgeline of the Blue Ridge Mtns as I said. You travel from one side of the ridgeline to the other side you see panoramic views of the main valleys below you. The road does meander and go up and down quite a bit as I have said before and you rarely in an RV go over 30 mph. But there are lots of visitor centers and lots and lots of pullouts.
Before leaving we visited Johnston’s Farm which is 1900’s Appalachian farm that was here at the time. Their crops in this region were mostly corn and fruit (apples and peaches and plums. Although they did have hogs and cows for their own consumption. They were very isolated even if they did not feel so and you could see how this would be a great life but a limiting one. You certainly would learn to be self sufficient.
At Roanoke we left the Blue Ridge Pkwy and went on Interstate 81 to Abington, VA where we are tonight parked in the Giant Lion Parking lot (sort of a great big grocery store).
The two campgrounds that we had picked out were both closed this time of year (10/15 seems to be the date for most of them at this latitude). Remember I said that it was getting cold well last night it was into the high 20’s and I expect the same tonight. Fortunately we have the Mr. Buddy heater and the generator is working without a flaw now so that in the morning we can even have forced air heating (Bev never had it so good).
Did I mention the trees along the roadside everywhere along the Blue Ridge Pkwy, well they were just fabulous and some had really brilliant color. Now along the 81 Fwy there seems to be more rolling hills with farms and pastureland. Here we are in long valleys with rolling hillsides everywhere, between the Blue Ridge Mountain range and the Smokey Mountain Range. We will be crossing into Tennessee tomorrow and that may present still a different landscape.
1 The campground
2 Locke on the River
3 Quilting
4 Hams and cider
5 THe road

Skyline to Blue Ridge

Skyline Parkway to the Blue Ridge Parkway
Well we certainly did not cover a great deal in the way of distance today but the views were absolutely fantastic and we had many, many, many, many stops to see all there was to see.
First of all the Skyline Pkw is part of the Shenandoah National Park which covers the Northern ranges of the Appalachian Mountains and the Blue Ridge Mountains. This stretches some 100 miles north to south and has views of the Shenandoah Valley to the west and to the east I am not sure. You wind from the east side of the ridgeline to the west side of the ridgeline thru the gaps in the mountains. These gaps were used by early settlers to cross these mountain ranges. The foliage is of oaks, chestnuts, elms, ash and other hardwood trees. The colors were not as vibrant as further north due to the dry season that they have had here but still it was wonderful to have a vast overhang of trees over the roadway.
We have not seen a great deal of wildlife but yesterday we did spot one black bear and today two white tailed deer. It took us something like 8 hours to cover all of the Skyline Pkwy between the two days that we travelled on it.
Next you no sooner leave the Skyline Parkway than you enter the Blue Ridge Pkwy. This national forest and park stretches for 500 miles north to south and covers two states (Virginia an Carolina) and was meant to be the eastern equivalent of Yosemite and Yellowstone Natl Park. The driving became easier here as the roads were built later (1930’s and 1950’s but still 30 miles an hour with many stops each hour make for a very long day. We did not reach our campground till after dark and that is not what I like to do. So much for letting Bev sleep in, in the morning.
The nights have been getting colder (in the 20’s now) and the days are sunny but still cool in the morning and do not warm up till the afternoon.
Tomorrow we will leave the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mountains and go west again. At Roanoke, VA my plans are to leave this slow pace and unfortunately head in a more westerly direction. You know eventually we have to get back to CA and family. This trip has defiantly been worth it but getting home will see to be a nice adventure also.
Well time for planning tomorrows drive and then bed so that is all for now. Hopefully within the next few day I will be able to post when I get internet service again.
1 Mary's tunnel (?)
2 Dark Hollow Falls
3-5 Fall colors and the parkway drive

Gettysburg to Skyline Prwy

Gettysburg to the Skyline Parkway Drive
After leaving Gettysburg we followed some more of the historic byways of the area. First into Maryland and then into Virginia. Remember that Lee’s army was called the Army of Virginia not the Confederate Army. ‘
Following along we passed places like Antietam which was the site of the single days bloodiest fighting during the Civil War. There were 23,000 killed, wounded or lost during that single day.
On to Harpers Ferry where John Brown was hanged. If you will recall he was the Abolitionist who wanted the slaves to start a rebellion and overthrow their masters. He raided an army gun depot here and was later hanged but his actions frightened the white slave owners in the South and it is said that this was one of the incidents which precipitated the Civil War.
Next we drove on past the town of Winchester which changed hands more times than any other town in the Civil War (73 times and 13 times in a single day). This is also where George Washington started his military career as a surveyor.
We stopped at a visitor Center in Virginia and had a change of plans at that point in time. It was decided to follow the Skyline Parkway Drive Southward and then the Blue Ridge Parkway some of the way. Both are National Scenic Drives and take you above the Shenandoah Valley, Shenandoah Mtns, thru the Blue Ridge Mountains, the George Washington Natl Forest, the Massanutten Mtns and the Appalachian Mtns. They are in their two peak fall color weekends so how could we miss this opportunity.
You start this at Royal Front in Virginia and we will probably leave the parkway which is a national park at Roanoke, Virginia.
There are spectacular views of the valleys bellow and you cross from one side of the ridgeline to the other to take in just one vista after the next. This really is a wonderful experience to see firsthand. The mountains to the east and west are covered with what looks like smoke and I am sure similar to the Smokey Mtns.
Well now it is time for chores and things like that. We are in a national campground tonight so there are no hookups (thank goodness for a working generator) but the setting is magnificent in the trees with all of the leaves changing and falling to make a carpet on the ground.
1 Fall colors
2 Anteidom Memorial
3 Shenandoah Valley
4 The parkway drive
5 More fall colors

Gettysburg day 2

Gettysburg Day 2
We spent the better part of the morning getting ready to leave Gettysburg and visiting the National Cemetery there. Located near some of the most strenuous fighting on Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge it is where some 3200 Union soldiers are buried. They were interned here after their hasty burials on the fields where they fell and are placed according to the regiments that they fought in. Her you see the rows of grave markers that list the names of men from PA, NY, Vermont, Michigan, Delaware etc. There are some 411 Unknown soldiers who are given numbers and listed with the Unknown.
The main memorial which was dedicated here by Lincoln and where his famous Gettysburg Address was given is located in the center of this semi circle of gravesites. Also buried here are any of the widows of soldiers who died at Gettysburg and wanted to be unturned here.
After that we went to downtown Gettysburg and looked at the home where Lincoln stayed the night prior to his speech and the railway station that he came in on.
So that ends our visit to this most historic site and we left on Hwy 116 and 16 following the path of Lee’s retreat where he passed over the Potomac River some 13 days later.
1 The Cemetery hill battlefield
2 The Natl War Memorial
3 The Unknown Soldiers
4 The States represented
4 Federalist Architecture

Gettysburg

Gettysburg
We woke this morning to the lovely sight of thousands of leaves spiraling downward like feathers with no wind to stop them to the ground covering it with a blanket of soft carpet. What a sight somewhat like large snowflakes that just held your gaze. Of course there was also the crack of an occasional acorn on the roof as it to fell.
Next was a trip to the Gettysburg Visitor Center where we first watched a movie and then saw the cyclorama painting of the battlefield and then lastly of a bus tour of the battlefields. To say that this place is immense is an understatement. It surrounds the town of Gettysburg and is everywhere. The museum itself took us over two hours to complete.
The battle for Gettysburg was unique in that Lee wanted to take the battle to the North out of Virginia and hopping for a victory there the North would want to sign a peace that would give the South its sovereignty. He had won battles already in Virginia against the Army of the Potomac and felt that he could win again. Some 150,000 troops were engaged in the battle on both sides and there were over 50,000 dead, wounded or captured on both sides when it was finished.
On July 1 the cavalry ( Buford I think) of the North ( met the infantry of the South (Meade). The South was timid as it did not know that the North had only 2400 men and Buford fought a delaying action to Oak Ridge and McPhearson Ridge waiting for reinforcements from Reynolds. Meanwhile Lee had still not arrived and Meade (who had only held command for 48 hours was still not there either.
On July 2 the South advanced with more men taking over the town of Gettysburg and much of the surrounding area including Seminary Ridge . But the North still held to the high ground of Cemetery Hill and Culps Hill.
On July 3 Lee wanted a two strike offence at dawn by his generals Longfield on the southern flank and Ewell on the north side of the Meade’s forces who were now in a fishhook position.
The South lost on several counts first Longfellow received incorrect orders and did not attack at dawn as planned, next the South was just minutes away from taking Little Round Top Hill (there were no Northern troops there at the time) which would have given them the high ground looking down an exposed Northern flank.
Still Lee wanted a full frontal charge of the North’s center believing that he could still achieve victory. This meant that the Southern troops would have to cross 1 mile of exposed front a mile wide before reaching the Union Lines. They fought bravely with Picket’s charge and did breach briefly the Union lines but were repulsed.
During the night Lee retreated and the invasion of PA was thwarted. In his retreat the line of wagons carrying the wounded stretched 17 miles.
Thousands were left to be buried and dead horses were everywhere. The town was filled with wounded and dead. It was the governor of PA who got funds for a cemetery to bury the dead, some four months after the battle. It would be two more years before the Civil War ended.
In November of that year Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg to be not the main speaker but a secondary one ( a sort of afterthought). Of the first speaker, Governor Andrew Curtin, who went on for two hours little is remembered of his eloquence. The two minute speech given by the then unpopular President Abe Lincoln will remain one of the most memorable of his career.
There were 3,500 Union solders interned at Gettysburg and the 3,230 Confederate soldiers were all to cemeteries in the South after the war.
There are about 1000 memorials to the Union troops here at Gettysburg but there are only about a dozen to the Confederates.
It was a long day and we learned much about this battle and the things which preceded it and followed thereafter which shaped the country for decades to come.
1 Leaves fallig in the morning
2 View of the panoramic painting
3 The eternal floame at Oak Hill
4 View from Lottle Round Top Hill
5 View of the Confederate lines (far treeline)

Philly to Gettysburg

Philly to Gettysburg, PA
Today was a day of travel for us starting out by leaving Byne State Park in NJ and traveling the lesser known roads and byways to get finally to Gettysburg. As you may know I leave no stone unturned to find out the obscure, the unusual and different.
First traveling SR 130 thru Marcus Hook and across the Delaware River ($14.00 toll fee). Then on SR 322 thru such notable towns as Thorndale, Brandywine (where the famous battle took place by that name) and up thru Compass.
Next it was onto SR 340 and we could not of course miss Intercourse (would have liked to stay longer, but alas Bev did not want to dawdle) and onto Bird-in-the-Hand. All the while we were driving thru some of the loveliest countryside within the Dutch Amish counties. Yesss sireeee this was horse and buggy time with neat farmhouses and churches all in a pristine row. This is truly Lancaster County PA.
Lastly it was time for our pilgrimage to that great mecca of the chocoholic yes folks HERSHEY PA. The home of the famous Hershey Chocolate factories and the town of Hershey PA where even the street lights are in the shape of Hershey kisses.
Now for Bev this was nirvana, the center of the universe.
We toured the visitor center and part of the park but the museum is being overhauled and will not open till Jan 09 so that was missed. They did give you a wonderful tour on a kind of ride of the way that chocolate is made and we did get to package some of our very own Hershey kisses.
From a historical point of view Milton Hershey (an Amish believer) who started the company did take his duty to his workers and fellow man personally. He built a model town for his employees with schools, hospitals and care for the aged. Even today the schools are funded and they have a huge sports arena, stadium and all sorts of other great things.
When he and his wife found that they could not have children of their own they started an orphanage to care for others. After their deaths and the bequeathing of $60 mil to help fund these activities and others Hershey Medical School funded some years later.
After that it was on to Gettysburg where we are tonight in a lovely campsite. In the woods and next to a small river and the place is almost deserted.
1 Dutch Amish country
2 Buggy time
3 bird-in-the-Hand
4 Bev and packaging chocolate
5 Chocolate Town (Hershey)

Philly Day 2

Day two in Philly
Day 2 in Philly
Well I will count this as our second day in Philly because yesterday was spent doing repairs. So today we again headed into the birthplace of the American Revolution.
To start we visited the Carpenter’s Hall which was used by the First Continental Congress in 1774 and was one of the first guilds in the US.
Next on the list was the Second Bank of the United States which now is a repository of the paintings and portraits of the Revolutionary Heroes as well as their wives and other influential Philly residents of the time.
Later on the list was the Mercantile Exchange and the Fist Bank of the United States which is being redone to house exhibits on the Civil War. We also saw a recreation of the City Tavern where Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and others met to discuss the events of the day over a pint of ale or beer and food.
We also saw the Library of American Philosophical Society. Washington, Jefferson and again Franklin were all members of this prestigious organization and it was again a place to meet and discuss radical ideas. The library houses such things as Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration as well as letters to Washington asking for his input. There were also many of the other original documents such as Wm Penn’s documents on the Pennsylvania Colony.
Afterwards we toured the Franklin Court where Franklin’s home was located and his rentals. Did you know that he invented a musical instrument the armonica, wrote prolifically (Poor Richard’s Almanac), was greatly interested in electricity (one of the first batteries), bifocal lenses, and the Franklin fireplace and lightning rod.
After all of these we were almost done but had to see the Free Quaker Meeting House which was one of the first Quaker Churches in America. Remember that Wm Penn was a Quaker but he gave religious freedom to most any group that wished to come to the Penn Colony. There was even land sold to a Jewish Synagogue across from the Quaker Church and next to Christ’s Church Burial Ground where Franklin is buried.
Last was a visit to the National Constitutional Center. We did not have time to spend an entire tour of the building and facilities but it is truly a monumental structure. All of this and parkland have made this city a truly wonderful experience.
We saw the US Mint on our way out after we had left the parking lot or we would have spent some time there. Always nice to know where they print the money.
1 Carpenters House
2 Old City Tavern
3 First Bank of the United States
4 Franklin Court
5 Quaker Friends Church

Repairs

A Day of Repair
We were going to go to Philly today but stopped first at the campground office and I looked up a place to have the generator fixed. It turned out that Camping World was located about 40 miles away and they had a certified Onan tech, but he was only working today (Friday ) and then off on the weekend. They could work me in at 3:00 for him so I took the slot and after that we decided not to go into the city as it would not leave us a great deal of time to go in come back and then go to the repair facility.
We got to CW an hour early but he said that he could take us then (so much the better). It turned out that the generator was not getting any power from the battery to start it. Just what I had suspected and why I had cleaned all of the terminals and ground wire connections. The problem and solution were to replace the hot wire and ground wire to the generator and now it just seems to purr away.
My fault for not bringing my voltmeter with me on the trip or I could have diagnosed the problem myself. Ah well the next Radio Shack or Home Depot and I will buy another one. I guess it’s always good to have an extra.
The good news is that now we have power for Bev’s hair dryer and the microwave. That means that we are now fully self contained again and if we do not find a campground open (and that my dear friends is becoming more and more of a problem at this date) we can just park where our engine is turned off. All of the campgrounds here in the northeast seem to close between 9/30 and 10/30 and most it seems are closed by 10/15. Winter comes and the campers all go home and prepare for snow and Santa.
1 Carpenters Hall or Home
2 George Washington
3 Father of the US Navy plus Independence Hall in backround
4 Second Bank of the United States
5 The American Philosophical Society