Travel Day from Tennessee into Georgia

 October 23, 2022

Camp Chicken Pot Pie

Blairsville, Ga

Once again, Momma was enchanted with the beautiful scenery

as we traveled through the Great Smoky Mountain Park, Cherokee, Franklin and into Blairsville, Georgia while Dad concentrated on the, what we refer to as, squiggle road. 

The unique road even made a full loop with part of the loop being a tunnel.  Now there's a squiggle for you!!

All Dad wanted to know was how many more miles of curly roads were still ahead.  The first part of the drive was tiresome, demanding concentration to make the turns without drifting into the other lane with our 5er.

The rally has ended with the final day warming up so the four layers Momma had been wearing all week could finally be shed.  As it turned out, the weather was perfect for the balloon festival in nearby Dandridge.

There was music, entertainment, food trucks, craft vendors, and of course balloons.  The afternoon consisted of balloon rides.  The balloons were tethered.  They would load up the basket with riders and then rise about 50 feet or so off the ground giving the riders a bird's eye view of the festival.  Momma said she lost count of how many times the balloons rose during the afternoon.  

The event kicked off with a talented gal singing the National Anthem while the balloon behind the main stage rose to fly the flag.

It was a well attended event as you can see by the endless line of cars heading for the entrance gate.

Our arrival at Chicken Pot Pie once again taxed Dad's skill of keeping the wheels of the 5er on the pavement of the one lane road that twisted and turned back on itself as we approached the camp of our Florida neighbors.  Our timing was perfect to allow us to head out to Jim's Smokin' Que for some finger lickin' good, fall of the bone ribs.  

It is great to see our Florida neighbors once again along with an additional friend who now makes his home in this area.  Good times once again!!

I'm Chloe

The spare has been tossed out the door

October 14-15, 2022

Pigeon Forge Landing RV Resort site 64

Pigeon Forge, Tn

Our latest move took us 40 minutes although we only traveled half as many miles.  We are deep in the tourist area of the Smoky Mountain area of Pigeon Forge.  Six lanes of vehicles trying to maneuver around each other, heading to different destinations of the wall to wall offerings available.  Yep, slow going for sure.

The spare tire had its last ride inside the rig.

Our winch, cable and extension parts arrived

so it was install time.  I'm sure you have heard the terms  'plug and play' and 'made to order' that describe the ease of installing something.  Well, none of those terms applied to this task.  It seems the predrilled holes didn't line up.  The bolts were too long so you ran out of threads long before everything was snugged tight.  Are you beginning to get the idea?  It turned out to be a two day, head scratching task

that was finally accomplished with persistence.

I guess all the struggles make the completion of the task feel that much sweeter.  We won't even talk about the feelings when everything was going wonky and just savor the completion of a challenging job well done.  Once again, Dad is our hero!!

We are settled into the location for the Southeast Open Range Rally where 40 rigs will gather for a week of fun and camaraderie. The rally officially kicks off at a breakfast gathering on Tuesday morning with the majority of the rigs arriving Sunday and Monday. It appears that the weather will chill down by 20 degrees about the same time with lows forecast for 30 degrees (isn't that below freezing?)  and highs of 51 degrees.  So we will don our warmest jackets and let the good times roll....   wait.....I don't have a jacket...just a fur coat!!

I'm Chloe

 

Time with friends

 October 12-13, 2022

Anchor Down Resort site 118

Dandridge, Tn

What a delightful two days filled with friends!  We packed up in Crossville between the rain showers and drove away from the rain.  What had great potential for being a gorgeous, breathtaking drive with colorful views of the fall leaves painting the mountainside turned out to be a liquid haze view of dulled down colors frosted with fog and clouds.  It appeared the closer we got to our destination, the less color was available to be viewed.

Our arrival was seamless with our shrink-wrapped spare tire enjoying its new home inside the rig once again.  We took Anchor Down Resort up on their offer to pay for a wash permit to allow us to clean the road grime off our rig and truck.

  We sparkle once again!!

Our friends from Dandridge took Momma and Dad to a dinner show

full of clogging, hillbilly music and comic dialog.  Momma was amazed when the stage floor revealed a pool of water and the entertainers got wet diving off the diving boards while the dogs jumped off the lower spring boards.  It was quite the show that followed the chicken and pulled pork dinner.

Thursday more friends arrived to play with ME...and Momma and Dad.  But they played with me and my toys first before getting down to card and board games. Steve and Tina are good friends for sure!!  As a matter of fact, we played so hard that frog had to go to ER for emergency surgery as his head started to separate from his body.

We even took a change of scenery break and went to the dog park.

  I was enjoying retrieving my ball until Bentley showed up.

All he wanted to do was ride my back.  His Momma kept telling him to leave me alone but he sure was persistent....and RUDE!

Tomorrow we relocate once again and settle into our rally site at a newer campground in Pigeon Forge where we will stay for over a week enjoying time and activities with the owners of 38 other rigs attending the SE Rally.

I wonder if they have a nice dog park as well...without Bentley!

I'm Chloe

Back in Tennessee

 October 9,  2022

Spring Lake Resort site 58

Crossville, TN

Lucky us!!  We didn't need to dig out our spare tire from its travel location tucked away inside the 5er, sandwiched between the two chairs in the back of the rig where it road, snug as a bug in a rug.

Smooth traveling into Central Time in Crossville, Tennessee at one of our favorite campgrounds, Spring Lake Resort.  Dad loves the level, roomy sites designed for easy back-in.  Momma loves the paved patio that keeps the dirt trail low when entering the camper. Now me, I LOVE the grassy area behind our rig that is the ideal ball playing area.  And this time of year we have the extra bonus of colorful leaves, although they say they still aren't quite at their peak.

Unfortunately, this time of year also comes with chilly morning temps.  Can you see the frost on the ground?

This pic was captured thru the dining room window.  Momma said the only way this pic would be captured from outside was if I took the picture.  She said she's waiting for the sun to warm things up before she ventures outside.  And it will warm up to a beautiful fall day.

A new bonus that we have discovered thanks to our friends Kathy and Bruce, we can purchase delicioius pepper jam and honey from their friend, Monica at Big B Farm.  We picked some up early on in our trip, which needless to say has long since been depleated.  Now we have plans to stock up for the winter while in this area.  That stuff sure must be yummy if the expressions of pleasure on Momma's and Dad's faces mean anything.  Maybe I should try a snatch and grab so I can find out for myself?!?

I'm Chloe

Success!

 October 8, 2022

Oh Kentucky Campground site 48

Berea, Ky

Twenty dollars in fuel later (4 gallons worth), the scavenger hunt is nearly completed.  Check it out.  New spare on a steel rim.

But there is no way that tire is riding in the truck when we are hooked up to the 5er.

Not with a short bed truck.  The winch and cable assembly to mount the tire under the rig had to be ordered from E-Trailer and that shipment won't arrive until next week while we are in Tennessee.  

Dad said we'll just have to make room inside the rig.  That new tire smell shouldn't be too bad.  And Momma said, "SMELL...oh no you don't!"

And so a compromise was reached.  Have you ever seen a shrink wrapped tire before?

 I think it's the latest trend in decor.

It doesn't smell at all Momma.  Honest.

Dad said, I sure hope we don't need to use this tire right away.  It'll take forever to unpackage. But if we do need a spare, we have one relatively handy.

Dad saw this display while waiting for his tire to be mounted. Check these rims out.  

We could have had a whole new look....NOT!!!

Momma said the best thing to happen with this whole senario was the Sonny's beans they picked up.  If they hadn't been on the scavenger hunt, she never would have seen the Sonny's and encouraged Dad to drive thru the outside delivery for a take out of beans.  Momma says Sonny's bbq beans are the best.  I sure hope she decides to share with me.  

I'm Chloe

Scavenger Hunt time

 October 7, 2022

Oh Kentucky Campground site 48

Berea, Ky

Travel day today, with a bit more color. 

And it turned out to be an interesting travel day that has led to a scavenger hunt.  

We knew our trip was under 3 hours so we took our time getting on the road this morning.  As we were on the secondary road leaving I-64 in Kentucky, heading for I-75 we traveled through a small community that had a stop light.  As we were sitting at the light, a gal in the other lane caught our attention and alerted us to the fact that our spare tire has departed from our rig.  Her words were, "Do you carry a spare tire?  I think you lost it and a car ran over it."  

As luck would have it, we were sitting next to a vacant parking lot.  Dad pulled in the lot so he could peer under our rig.  Sure enough, out spare had left the rig and dropped out from beneath our unit.  Dad walked back a block and didn't see anything so we drove back.  We were able to easily get turned around and went on a search for a damaged car, for surely there had to be some serious damage from driving over a huge tire.  We found.....nothing.  No damaged car...no spare tire......nothing.

Delighted that no one was hurt, the next logical explanation was that someone had picked up the tire, which was an older tire with some wear, and our expensive mag wheel.  

We could just take the BIG gamble and try to sneak home without carrying a spare.  After all, home is only 3 weeks away and a couple thousand miles on our schedule, but Momma and Dad aren't big on gambling.  

The gal at the campground headed us in the right direction to begin our scavenger hunt.  "Your best bet is to head to Richmond, about 16 miles away."  

Dad was aware that the chances of locating a matching mag wheel were slim to none.  At this point, a heavy steel rim would do nicely, but not just any tire shop would carry such an item so.....the first stop was a Trailer, RV shop.  A Benjamin Franklin swap, plus tax, scored us a shiny new, heavy duty rim. 

But the tire they had in stock was the wrong size.  After assuring us that Millers Tire Too about 9 miles away would have what we needed, Dad headed the Ram for the next stop in the scavenger hunt.

Dad went in the shop and came out with....a piece of paper???  No tire in stock ....but....they would have one tomorrow morning by 10am.  And by the way, 'we close at noon'.  

On to the, what Dad hoped would be, the final stop.  You see, the tire is carried under the rig and hoisted into position using a cable and winch system.  Dad figured the cable has failed/broken and so we needed some new cabling, clamps, and parts.  Tractor supply was the next stop.  A bag full of goodies and we were on a roll....or so we thought.

When Dad actually got down under the rig, braving the large, biting gravel we are parked on, he discovered it wasn't a broken cable after all.  We seemed to be missing not only the cable, but the winch and all the other parts as well.  The only thing he saw were 2 empty bolts.  WHAT????

Now it was time for an Internet search and a shipment from E-trailer for the winch and cable assembly.  

Dad said if it was going to happen, he was glad it happened on a Friday when businesses were open.  We are scheduled to depart Kentucky on Sunday. 

I'm Chloe

Oops

 October 5, 2022

Robert Newlon Air Park site 4

Huntington, WV

Momma and Dad have traveled into the heart of Huntington twice now and the consensus is Huntington is not real easy to navigate or park in.  There are many one way streets.   The GPS got them to the seafood restaurant and they luckily were early enough on a weekday that they found parking on the street....metered parking.  After digging around in the Ram, they decided they had enough change so that they wouldn't have to rush their meal.

The next tale was a self inflicted disaster.  Momma programmed the GPS using a search for Peddler's Market.  She saw Market Mall and clicked on it and they were off, following the GPS navigation and trying to locate the destination.  "Ooops, we just went by it."  Here's where the one way streets make things complicated.  After finally getting to the location, a parking spot was claimed on the street....with a parking meter.  Of course no one even gave it a thought to restock the change in the Ram but...the back of the meter says you can use the Parking App.  Out came the phone and Momma proceeded to download the app.  Create and account...."yes, it's really me doing this .....give me the code and I'll enter it to prove it is me."  Link the account to Paypal and pay 95 cents.  Whew!!  It's a good thing our time didn't start while we were setting all that up or we would be paying an additional 95 cents!!

After walking a block and a half to Market Mall, Momma and Dad read the signage that listed the shops in the Market Mall. "'This isn't Peddler's Market.  It's full of coffee shops and such."  Checking on the phone for the physical address for Peddler's Market, they discovered they were 2.5 miles away.  

So, back to the Ram.  Reprogram the GPS by physical address.  Negotiate the one way streets to get headed in the proper direction and .....there it was....a HUGE parking lot......no parking meters in sight.

Well, if Dad and Momma need to meter park ever again, they are all set up for it now, after this afternoons faux pas.

Peddler's Market was loaded with goodies....crafts, treasures and 'who would ever buy that' old treasures.

Check out the wood slices.  

Well, they started out as slices of wood.  

They made me think of our creative neighbor, Tim and his wood slices at his camp. 

Momma did bring home a couple of treasures.  No, no wood slice characters.  

Okay Dad, you've had your 'fun', (and today's aggravation) now it's time for MY fun.  Let's play ball.

I'm Chloe

West Virginia

 October 4, 2022

Robert Newlon Air Park site 4

Huntington, WV

Momma says she still goes into shock every morning when she opens her eyes and looks at the ceiling to view the time on the projection clock.  It's not the time that shocks her.  You see, the clock also broadcasts the current temperature.  When the first number is a 4 (as in temps in the 40's) it can be a rude awakening for sure.  Thank goodness, as the sun rises, so does the temperature.  It even gets into the 70's if we are real lucky!!

We have relocated to West Virginia...Huntington, WV although there was a moment of doubt when we arrived.  We had been assigned site 5.  We had been told at the time we made the reservation to just drive straight to our site and settle in.  Tina, said she would stop by later with our receipt.  

Well, that sounded simple enough,  except there was a Bershire Class A occupying site 5.  Hmm???  And then we saw the Mobile Repair van at the front of the coach.  Hmm??  

As it turned out, the lady in the Berkshire was on the phone with the office when Momma strolled up to her door.  She was extending her stay on site 5 so Tina reassigned us to site 4.  There are still empty sites here. No problem for us.  But the Berkshire owners definitely had problems.  

They had stowed everything for departure yesterday and the husband decided to wash the windshield.  It seems the ladder shifted and he toppled on the ladder. The wife took him to urgent care who sent him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with 3 broken ribs.  No wonder he was having trouble breathing.  With his history of asthma, diabetes etc, they admitted him to ICU in an attempt to prevent pneumonia from developing and monitor his condition.  

Now that sounds so quick and simple when written in a couple of sentences, but with 50 people at the hospital waiting to be seen, the wife never returned to the rig until 2 am.  If we had arrived a tad earlier, we probably could have saved her that Mobile Repair call.  The Berkshire was ready to roll down the road and the wife had no idea how to set the rig back up for a longer stay (connect water, sewer, electric, slides) so she called a mobile tech to come out.  I'm sure their home in Wisconsin feels a long distance away at this time.  

This RV Park not only is by the Ohio River.  It has trains and an air field as well. 

The trains whistle as they go by....but not very often.  We haven't seen any skydivers or planes take flight as of yet.  I guess it might be a bit too chilly to step out of a plane.  Or maybe it is more of a weekend thing?  We're hoping to be entertained with some air activity on the other side of the fence.  

I'm Chloe

Ohio River Museum

 October 2, 2022

Ashland RV Park site 24

Marietta, Ohio

Loads of history here where the Ohio River meets the Muskingum River.  The Ohio River Museum is blessed with a knowledgeable docent, Nancy who took Momma and Dad on a tour of the Steamboat docked at the museum.

This steamboat pushed barges on the river.  It was not a passenger Steamboat.  A crew of 18 lived aboard the ship that operated 24/7.  Three females held the positions of cook and maids while the other 15 male employees were responsible for the ship's navigation on the river as it pushed up to 6 barges lashed together.

It was interesting to note that the steering wheel is actually turned by two levers located on either side of the wheel, and not the knobs on the wheel itself.

As with the trains of this same steampowered time period, a system of whistles and bells rung in patterns was used to communicate needed changes in speed, direction, etc of the steamboat as it navigated the current and curves of the river.

Flatboats such as this replica were also used for transportation on the river.

The flatboat would float down the river (no motor-just the river current) loaded with items to sell.  If the current wasn't enough to move the boat, they would climb on the roof and pole the boat.  When it reached its destination and the load sold, the boat was sold to be dismantled for its lumber and they returned up river by horse. If it was a relocating family, the boat was dismantled and the lumber used in the construct a home.  Nothing was wasted and everything was put to use.

Pior to a system of dams, the river would flood its banks as high as 49 feet.  These poles depict the various water levels for the more impressive floods.

Docent Nancy had so much info to share that Momma and Dad were gone forever.  Now the question is, will their worn out, old minds be able to recall all that interesting information?

I'm Chloe