Author: tophatpat

James Island County Campground, Charleston, SC

It was warm enough to sleep with the windows open last night! Another glorious day, blue skies from horizon to horizon. A good day to visit Ft. Sumter out in Charleston Bay where the first shots were fired in the Civil War in 1861. It stands upon an island built by the Navy using tons of granite shipped from New England and dumped on a shoal (sandbar). Millions of brick were made and laid up to construct the massive fort. The people doing the construction were enslaved.

The fort was three tiers high before the confederate shelling decimated the top two. All that remains is the bottom tier, battered with shells still stuck into the brickwork.

Mike and Eileen met working at the Magnolia Restaurant here in Charleston; they suggested we eat there and drop their names. Of course we did, and were not disappointed! Name dropping Mike the Butcher to Kellie got us a scrumptious appetizer of pan seared sea scallops! Penny had cedar plank grilled salmon while I enjoyed red pepper encrusted ahi tuna for our entrees. And, of course, a glass of wine each, Pinot Grigio.

We decided that such an auspicious evening would be in honor of Penny’s approaching birthday.

 

 

 

James Island County Campground, Charleston, SC, 269 mile jump

We broke camp at 9 AM and said our fond goodbyes to the Jacobsons. What a great family! And so down to earth. They get it!

The thermometer climbed as we descended from the mountains to the coast arriving at James Island about 3:30 PM; we immediately ditched the clothes we were wearing for shorts, T shirts and flip-flops. It was 80 degrees!

Lake Powhatan, Asheville, NC

Today our adventure was at the Grovewood Galleries. Many of the artists whose work is shown at the Folk Art Center have their studios at this complex. It is a group of old, well maintained buildings surrounded by outdoor sculpture and many other types of eye candy. We had visited two years ago, but because we had Shelley along, we got the royal treatment. After exercising her, we were bringing her back to the truck when the GM asked about her. He had Shelties of his own and said she was obviously well mannered and that we could take her into any of the buildings! Mike could even sit on some of the fine furniture on display as long as he was with Shelley! There was even a metal sculpture that evoked Shelley sitting in the back seat with the window down.

We reconnected with an artist at the gallery, Tess Darling, who likes paint animals in the wild.

My favorite artist is Penny Jane. I finally got the right light for her mural on the ITLDO:

Powhatan Campground, Asheville, NC

We emptied the back seat of our truck to make room for Mike, Eileen and Shelley. Departing at 10 AM, the first stop was the North Carolina Arboretum literally next door to the campground. The difference between these trees and the ones in our camp was the information boards along the trail identifying the names and attributes of the many different species. The Bonsai trees in pots were astounding!

From there we continued up the road a quarter mile to the Blue Ridge Parkway, a most wonderful road built by the CCC in the Great Depression era following the ridge for 469 miles over magnificent bridges and through many tunnels. We stopped at the Visitor Center, where Jennifer is employed, to watch a movie (and Michael could catch a nap) and learn about the building of the parkway. Next was the Folk Art Center, a truly exceptional exhibit of artwork in many different media.

Lastly was a late lunch at Bimberibon owned by a friend of Mike and Eileen. The food was an exotic fusion of Indian and Thai and splendidly delicious! Thanks, Michael, for the treat! Then, it was home for naps.

Powhatan Campground, Pisgah NF, Asheville, NC, 25 mile jump 

There was lots of ice this morning! It was about 27F when we woke, but the truck started just fine. We hooked the truck to the ITLDO to charge its batteries; they were running low. Dan headed south and we headed north closer to Asheville at a park we stayed at two years ago.

It was a special day because we were rendezvousing with Mike and Eileen who we met two years ago while camping on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi. It was the week of Penny’s bday and they invited us over for a bday supper; both are professional chefs! They tent camp across the country during the breaks between their two gigs; one in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts and the other in Breckenridge, Colorado.

We really like them (but especially love their sweet Shelty, Shelly). So we made a pledge to meet again and today is the day! The sun was warming up the forest as we went down the the lake which was exceptionally beautiful reflecting the tree colors.

They arrived about 5 PM; we had a good time catching up that evening and made plans to use our truck to haul the five of us around to see some of the sites we had come to enjoy here in Asheville.

 

Davidson River, Asheville, NC

It was cold this morning, but no freezing. I opted to shower, but even though the water was plenty hot, the breeze blowing through the screened louvers was quite invigorating! I just tried to keep relaxing and breathing. I got out of there ASAP!

Dan showed up right at noon; Penny was just finishing her chicken pot pie to share with our hostesses for lunch, so we headed over to Jennifer and Carol’s house for an afternoon of food anf football. Jennifer had prepared delicious pulled pork for dinnertime sandwiches. I had made brownies for dessert, but we were all so full only a few got sampled.

Jennifer and Carol were so gracious; they even encouraged us to bring our laundry over,so we did!

The three of us got back to the ITLDO ready to hit the hay. The thermometer was dropping quickly and food coma syndrome made us think about hibernating. Dan slept in his van as usual. As a precaution, I strapped a pair of wool socks around the two drain pipes that hang down below the insulated floor of the trailer. Penny piled up blankets on the bed and we were fine!

Davidson River, Asheville, NC

Rain started falling about 8 AM and was forecast to continue throughout the day. Camped just off of Hwy. 276 which runs west up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, we decided to get out the rain gear and make the best of the day. Stopping first at the Ranger Station and Visitor’s Center to learn what we could. Then, it was on to Looking Glass Falls, a real sight to behold!

Beyond that was The Cradle of Forestry, a heritage site proclaimed by Congress as the place where science based forestry got its start in America in 1916. George Vanderbilt hoped to to repair the unsightly clear cutting that loggers had used to get lumber out of his forest. On the site is a large interpretive center and a film explaining the history of the school. Though it was raining, Penny and I took the walking tour to visit the old buildings that made up the compound 100 years ago.

The Blue Ridge Pkwy was socked in with clouds, so we changed our plans to lunch up there at the Pisgah Inn and ate instead at the HogWild BBQ. It was very good! I got to watch a little of the Washington Huskies vs UCLA game. No one else in the place was paying any attention. The Penny’s brother, Dan called to say he was on his way to Florida and could stop by tomorrow. We said, “by all means!”

Penny and I had a long heart to heart before bed to help each other understand the little bit of friction that we both noticed. It’s really important to communicate about hurt feelings and negative thoughts. Truly listening to the other person is important to understand their point of view and to assess one’s own culpabilities. We tend to point fingers before we want to admit any part in the dispute. Speak from the heart; listen with an open heart!

 

Davidson Camp, Asheville, NC

This day started out slow due to recuperating from the long drive, but the afternoon warmed and brightened so we biked around the campground to get familiar with our surroundings. There were many opportunities to shoot pictures.

We then went to visit our friends, Jennifer and Carol, for the third year in a row. They had purchased a new home in Hendersonville about 15 miles from Asheville so we went to check it out. It was a 60s rancher with a huge sunroom that had been added. The former owner was a master gardener, so the yard was chocked full of plants. And, they have a Bard Owl that visits occasionally!

Asheville, NC, Davidson River Campground in the Pisgah NF, 316 mile jump

It was an all day drive through exceptionally colorful scenery. We climbed to 2000′ ascending the Cumberland Ridge, then dropped much of that while descending into Knoxville. From there we followed the winding French Broad River up into the Blue Ridge Mountains and into Asheville at 2000′. I was excited to reach Asheville, but bummed when told the campground was another 15 miles. Eventually, about 4:30, we made it to a very nice and colorful campsite.

Mammoth Cave NP

Up early to travel north into Kentucky to visit Mammoth Cave National Park. The 100 mile drive traversed rolling hills of beautiful fall colors. Arriving at the park in time to make the first two hour tour at 10 AM, we entered the Historic entrance, passing under a waterfall. This tour was two miles of walking through a variety of caverns and passages; some areas had steel grates, others paved, still others along the natural floor of the cave. Some of the passages such as Fat Man’s Misery and Tall Man’s Misery were tight squeezes. Frankly, I have no idea how some of the larger tourists made it through; we tried to stay ahead of them just in case!

The tour ended right on time so we lunched in the truck and had a power nap. The 2PM tour was another two hour tour only covering 3/4 mile starting from the “New” Entrance and exiting out another shaft. The difference was this tour was over 500 stairs, starting from the New Entrance we descended 285 steps right off the bat (pun intended). This was the Drips and Domes tour having many sculptures of layered up minerals.

Unfortunately, the bat population has been decimated by a fungus known as “white nose disease” to about 20% of their previous numbers. Everyone exiting the cave must walk over a pad wet with a chemical solution to mitigate carrying the fungus into other colonies.