Month: September 2016

We explored the city of St. Augustine which is the oldest city in the U.S., and is known for its Spanish colonial architecture.

Our first stop was the “Castillo de San Marcos”, a 17th-century Spanish stone fortress that overlooks the St. Augustine inlet.

The “Lion’s Bridge” crosses over to St. Augustine Beach as well as the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

There are many cobblestone roads and shops and history in the Historic Preservation Districts.

One of the historic sights is the “Oldest Wooden School House” which was built prior to 1763.

There were many churches  … The Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, the Memorial Presbyterian Church as well as the Grace United Methodist Church.

We stopped at the Saint Photios Shrine.  It is dedicated to the first colony of Greek people who came to America in 1768.

Unfortunately, we found (and very often do) that a lot of the attractions and museums and historical buildings all cost money to enter or view; therefore, we did not see as much as we would have liked to.

We took another drive to St. Mary’s Waterfront today.

We found the “Sunken boat” a short way off shore …

Basically what is visible is just the mast of the boat.

In leaving the area of St. Mary’s, we came across this Maine Central Railroad caboose!!  Who knew!  It was there as part of a train museum being built in the area!  My Dad was an engineer for the MCRR.

Lastly, we let Speckles & Mel get an up close view of the tee-pees in the KOA we are staying in.

We have enjoyed our stay in the St. Mary’s area and look forward to traveling down the east coast of Florida to explore more.  Hopefully Hurricane Matthew will not deter our plans!

Today we journeyed to the “Okefenokee Swamp” in Georgia.  It is a shallow, 438,000-acre, peat-filled wetland straddling the Georgia-Florida line.  It is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia and is the largest “blackwater” swamp in North America.

Families settled on the edge of the Okefenokee as early as 1805.  They lived in log cabins, herded cattle, raised hogs, hunted and fished and gardened.

We took a ride through the swamp on a boat which wasn’t much bigger than a row boat!  A little intimidating to say the least.  The swamp was covered in green vegetation which is called “duck weed”.

There are MANY cypress trees …. two varieties  being “pond cypress” and “bald cypress”.  The bald cypress have “knees” that grow out from the ground next to them.  Early botanists thought their purpose was to allow the root system access to air since new trees do not grow from these knees.

We also took a train ride through the area …

An exhibit we attended allowed us to hold and observe snakes, box turtles and a one-year old alligator.

Now, you may ask, “did you see any alligators”?  Yes, LOTS !!

Speckles & Mel came with us but hid for most of the day as they did not like the gators!

                           It was an interesting and informative day and ,,,

Thank you St Mary’s KOA for the free daily breakfast of pancakes, waffles, orange juice and coffee.  What better way to start a day of exploring.

We first traveled to St Mary’s Waterfront Park.  In the late 1800s, tall ships crowded the harbor as St Marys was the southernmost point of the US and a prime trading port for the America’s.  It is a beautiful area and lines the river’s shore.

We then drove to Fernadina Beach.  We wanted to visit some friends who live there; however, they are away on a cruise.  Another time …

From there, we went over to Amelia Island …. 13 miles of beautiful beaches, shops and eateries.  We walked along Seaside Park.

We actually waded in the “Atlantic” ocean which wasn’t as cold as expected to be!

At Seaside Park on Amelia Island 4 wheel drive vehicles can access the beach in limited areas.

So different than the Gulf shores of Florida, yet enjoyable to experience.

                                    Next stop ,,,, Swamps & gators !!

Yesterday we left TN and drove through Atlanta. We stopped at a KOA just south of Atlanta just for the night.

Our trip was long but uneventful. We carried along some critters that most likely were on our slideout when we left TN. We must have killed about 18 of these while driving.

They look like a stink bug but don’t stink when squished fortunately! Maybe a soldier bug? Anyway, we must have gotten most of them as we’ve only seen a couple today.

Atlanta was a “nail biter”! We would have had an easier drive through on those 8 lanes if it hadn’t been for an accident which clogged everything up.  Glad we did that route on a sunday!  On the bright side … we saw some frogger friends, Ed & Laura Cook, drive by us in Atlanta and got to honk at them and even chat a bit!!

Saw many of these signs along the way but… haven’t yet figured out how to get that “message 3”!

Today we did the long drive from Atlanta to Kingsland (St Mary’s), GA.  Again an uneventful day except for the many “lovebugs” that splattered our windshield!

Fortunately we had a rain shower and washed alot of them away.

We have landed at Jacksonville North/St Mary’s KOA. Appears to be a nice resort and offers a free breakfast of pancakes or waffles EVERY morning. Think Bill’s HAPPY???

We are on the border of Florida.  We are going to explore the east coast (since we never have) for awhile and visit St Mary’s, Amelia Island, Kingsland, Cumberland Island, Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge, Fernandina Beach, St Augustine, Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach, Cape Canaveral. ….. and who knows how far south we will go before making the journey to the Gulf side.

Yesterday we drove to Cherokee, NC via SR-441 to SR-19 to I-40 and back to Gatlinburg, TN on SR-321.

 What a great journey through the Great Smoky Mountains.  We stopped in Cherokee, Maggie Valley, the Indian Reservation, Cataloochee and Wilton Springs.

The 35-mile drive from Gatlinburg, TN to Cherokee, NC, across the highest peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is a drive back in time – and one with amazing views.

We stopped along the way at “Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort”.  Bill gave me my regular $20.00 allowance and ,,, we left $ 71.25 ahead of the game!!

Today we ventured to “Cade’s Cove”. We did the 11-mile one-way loop drive.  I loved the feel of the Cove’s pastoral serenity and the feel of the protection of the surrounding mountains.  The first settlers were there in 1821.  It truly is picture perfect!

We saw many early settler homes and churches as well as a working cable mill.

We watched some “Sorghum Molasses” being made.  It’s made from the sorghum plant which resembles corn in the field, but the grain crop is best known for its end product – sweet sorghum syrup.  Molasses is made from sugar cane.  It is very tasty and sweet … going to be perfect on my oatmeal!

We were so hoping to see at least one bear or an elk; however, all we saw was a wild turkey, some crows and one fox!  The fox ran through the woods as seen in the above picture but we couldn’t get a picture of him.

Returning from the Cove, we took SR-73 and came upon “The Sinks”.  What a neat place to stop and visit.  There are pools of clear fresh water which are just beautiful.  Some people stop and swim in the pools of water.

On our return home, we stopped for supper at the “Quaker Steak & Lube” restaurant.  They are known for the best wings in the Smoky Mountains.  Very delicious!

We’ve really enjoyed touring this area of Tennessee and would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to visit!

Speckles and Mel have enjoyed their visit as well (except for the tunnels)!

We drove to Knoxville to find the “Woodruff Brewery”. It is located on S Gay Street.  We had lunch there and tried some Woodruff IPA beer (which I disliked).

The Woodruff Building dates back to the 1800’s with Captain W. W. Woodruff owning it. The “Downtown Grill & Brewery” is now a popular Brewery and eating place downtown Knoxville.

While in Knoxville we visited the “Master General Store” on S Gay St that has been selling a broad selection of goods, including food, apparel & outdoor gear, since 1883.

We also visited a Walmart that had their parking lot “beneath” the store!

We noticed driving back from Knoxville that there was this invasive looking ivy type of growth alongside the highways. It was everywhere.

We are told it is “kudzu” and can grow a foot a day — up to 60 feet a season. It throws down roots everywhere it can, working its way into cracks and crevices on buildings, even collapsing whole barns and buckling power lines.

Enjoyed Knoxville but …. prefer the countryside better personally.

Yesterday we drove to Gatlinburg, TN.  What a great little town nestled at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains!

Saw the Gatlinburg Sky Lift which rides to the top of an 1800 ft overlook.  Nope!  Didn’t go up it.

“Bill” did go up the Gatlinburg Space Needle though.  It is 407 feet tall!

I’ve determined that what Kentucky is to Bourbon,,,,, Tennessee is to Whiskey and Moonshine!  There are distilleries everywhere.

Listened to some local bluegrass …

Bill has had too much good southern cook’n and has decided he needs to go on a diet SOON!

Today we ventured up into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  Ridge upon ridge of forest straddles the border between NC and TN.

Seeing the Smoky Mountains from a distance is nothing against the beauty of the mountains once in and up on top of them!

We made it to “Clingman’s Dome”.  At 6,643 feet, it is the highest point in TN and the 2nd highest point east of the Mississippi.  Clingman’s Dome is half in NC and half in TN.

Speckles and Mel had a great time in the mountains too!

On the descent out of the mountains, we stopped alongside a creek bed.  Bill did some rock hopping and stone hunting while there.

All is good in the Great Smoky Mountains …. especially since “Ranger Bill” was there!!

We started out today’s travels worried whether or not we would find any gas for the RV.  A pipeline leak that dumped 6,000 barrels of gas in central Alabama caused states of emergency in Alabama, Tennessee & Georgia.  Folks panicked, ran to gas stations to fill up and caused many stations to run out of gas.  Fortunately, we were able to get gas in Knoxville at a Flying J.  The average price of a gallon of gas has gone up by 10 cents or more overnight and will most likely increase.

Fortunately, we made it to Sevierville, TN and are staying at “Riverside RV Park and Resort”.  It’s a nice Resort and we are on a river front site.

We took a quick drive to Pigeon Forge to go to the “Pigeon Forge Rod Run” Car Show.  There were street rods everywhere.  Reminded us of the Adirondack National Car Show in Lake George which we attended every year for 16 years.

Stopped at “Tony Gore’s Smoky Mountain BBQ & Grill” for supper.  I had some ribs (which were delicious) and Bill had beef brisket.  Good meal!

Looking forward to exploring this area in depth.  Looks like a nice area and lots to see.  Have a good night folks …. chat later.

             YUP!!  LOVE THE TSHIRTS !!

We are on our way to Sevierville TN (near Knoxville) this morning after having a great time downtown Nashville on Broadway with my son Ray.  Ray was in the area on business and we were fortunate to connect before he flew off this morning.

The first place we stopped at was “Tootsie’s”.  It was jammed with people and there were at least two bands playing.

We then jumped into “Coyote Uglys” just for a look-see.  WOW!  It is an outpost of a festive saloon with female bartenders, bartop dancing & body shots. And ,,, in case you’re wondering ,,, I did NOT leave any articles of clothing there!  We didn’t even stay for a drink.

We walked over to the “Goo-Goo” factory.  Of course we had to try some!  The GooGoo Cluster is an American candy bar created in 1912 by Howell Campbell and the Standard Candy Company in Nashville, Tennessee. The disk-shaped candy bar contains marshmallow nougat, caramel, and roasted peanuts covered in milk chocolate.  YUM!!

 We stopped at “Rippy’s Bar & Grill” for supper.  The guys had ribs and I had a plate of nachos.  The designated driver (Bill) switched over to sodas. 😆

Thanks for a fun night on Broadway Ray!  Love you!

Got to tour a bit more of Nashville today thanks to “Tommy’s Tours”.  It was a 3-hour shuttle ride through Nashville as well as suburbs surrounding the area.  We were a bit disappointed that we didn’t stop at various spots to be able to get out and photo; however, the driver was very knowledgeable and had a great personality.

Govenors Mansion (next to Minnie Pearls former house)

Vince Gill House

Alan Jackson’s House

Dolly Parton House

A few homes we saw were Alan Jackson’s, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill as well as the Govenor’s Mansion (next to where Minnie Pearl lived).

Jaume Plensa’s Isabella

Christian Moeller’s “Stix”

Some of Nashville’s cultural art we saw … Jaume Plensa’s “Isabella”, Christian Moeller’s “Stix” and Alan LeQuire’s “Musica”.

Capitol Building

Union Station

Looking down Broadway Street

We passed by RCA Victor, The Capital Building, Union Station, Nissan Stadium as well as Broadway.

We visited the Grand Ole Opry.  We missed a show Tuesday.  And the only other show is tomorrow; however, we will be busy elsewhere.  Speckles & Mel enjoyed visiting Grand Ole Opry as well!

We stopped at the “Blue Bird Cafe”; however, it was closed so we did not get to go inside.  It is one of the world’s preeminent listening rooms and has gained worldwide recognition as a songwriter’s performance space.  In 2012 it made its primetime debut on the ABC drama Nashville.

We are enjoying our stay at the “Two Rivers Campground”.  The office staff are very friendly and helpful.  They offer live local entertainment nightly on the “back porch”.  Tonight we listened to Tim Atwood, a Nashville recording artist.

Tomorrow is our last day in Nashville.  We are going to explore “Broadway” downtown.  Looking forward to meeting up with my son Ray who will be in the area on business!