Since we went back to Granny’s for more chicken and Barber’s for more apple turnovers, we decided to ride our bicycles around Lake Junaluska this morning.   You can’t ride on the walking trail so we had to ride on the roads around the lake and they have some VERY steep hills.  That worked out good though, because that gave Jim lots of time to take pictures while I was slumped over my handle bars gasping for oxygen.  Be sure to check out his Lake Junaluska gallery of pictures.  The trail was only 4 miles, but a real workout.  Pass me another turnover, please and hide the scale.

The leaves are really starting to turn quickly now.  It looks like they should peak by the weekend or the latest next week.  Later in the day, we drove to Asheville to the Biltmore Estate.  We have toured the grounds and house several times but just went to the gift shop because we love their salad dressing.  If you ever get to this area, don’t miss the Biltmore Estate!

Not far from the Estate is a Farmer’s Market and we walked around for a while before we came back to the RV.  Our plan for the evening was dinner, a campfire, and then the presidential debate.

What a great time we are having!  We are doing all our favorite things and we have so enjoyed seeing sunshine.  On Friday we went to Barber’s Orchard and stood in line with about 30 other people to buy apple turnovers, muffins,and cookies and even managed to buy some apples in the healthy version (fresh with no sugar added).  We thought while we were destroying our bodies with all that sugar, we would add some grease and had fried chicken at Granny’s.  This fabulous place serves the best southern fried chicken family style with rice and gravy and hush puppies and green beans and after being in business forever, Granny is calling it quits on November 3rd.  We may have to go back one more time before we leave.  After this huge unhealthy dinner, we walked around Lake Junaluska to help lessen the guilt.

Lake Junaluska, NC

On Saturday we visited a craft show in Maggie Valley, drove the Blue Ridge Parkway so Jim could take a boat load of pictures and then drove to Cherokee to see what was happening there.  I have to say, the Cherokee area is so commercialized I don’t understand why people flock there.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Today we went to church in Ashville and were we surprised when a couple from our home church, John and Delores Knox walked in.  They came to Ashville to celebrate their 50 wedding anniversary.  Can you imagine being this far from home and seeing someone you know while visiting a different church.  After lunch we went to see Atlas Shrugged Part II at the movies.  It was really good and much better than Part I.  I recommend everyone see this movie before election day and take a friend with you!

I guess we are getting into this camping thing because we had a campfire this evening and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows just like we were out in the country.  There is something primal about getting the fire to burn.  It reminded me of the line in Tom Hank’s movie, Castaway, when he lit a fire and started dancing around yelling “I made fire!”  Unlike Tom Hanks, we then had to deal with the smoky smelling clothes.

We love this area and we are already talking about coming back next year for the entire month of October.

We spent most of the day driving yesterday but it was sooooo worth it!  When we arrived, the sun was shining and the temperature was in the high 60s.  The campground is across the street from Lake Junaluska and we have a view of the lake from our windows.  We have all the amenities; 50 amp electric, water, sewer, internet, cable and flat level sites with hard gravel.

We have visited our friends Faye and Lanny in this area several times so we know a lot about the area and things to see and do.  I am so ready for this week and the weather looks like it will be cooperating with cool nights and nice days.  The trees are turning but not near the peak.  We may not be here to see the peak but I think they will be beautiful before we leave.

Well, its time to start the laundry and get my arms around some other things I have been ignoring.

Here in Virginia, we finally saw blue sky and sun once more and we were overdue!  We were trying to remember the last time we had a sunny day and think it might have been two weeks ago.  You can’t take sunshine away from Floridians for an extended period and expect them to function normally.  Today is our only day in the Charlottesville area and we decided we wanted to spend it at Monticello, the historic home of Thomas Jefferson.

Monticello – Jefferson’s home

Monticello reflected in the pond from the gardens

We all remember Mr. Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States, but Jim and I learned so much more as we spent the major part of the day on the estate.  While he was living, the estate was 6,000 acres and the historic grounds now consist of over 3,000 acres including a restoration of the gardens, orchards, and house and furnishings.  Surprisingly, the foundation was able to recover many of the original artifacts from the house.

Thomas Jefferson was a genius teaching himself architecture, and five languages in addition his native english.  He often read five books simultaneously and invented a lazy susan type book holder to allow him to read them easily.  That was one of the surprises for me.  He took ideas he had seen in his travels, modified them and incorporated them into his home for his own convenience.  One amazing illustration is seen before you even enter the front door.  The weather vane on the roof translates the wind direction to a directional gadget on the ceiling on the porch that can be read from inside the house.  There is also a clock above the front door on the outside and the same mechanism runs a clock on the inside as well.  Sorry no pictures allowed inside the house.

Outside was impressive, balancing utility with beauty.  The picture above  from the fish pond showing the reflection of the house is a perfect illustration.  The pond is obviously beautiful with a rock place perfectly to reflect the house when sitting there, but it is also where they stored fish caught in streams and rivers until they were ready to be cooked and eaten.

Vegetable Gardens at Monticello

View from Gardens of Monticello

To try to tell you all the things we saw and heard today would take more words than you probably want to read so I will leave it with a suggestion to come see for yourself if you come in this direction  .  Actually, make it point to come in this direction and see Monticello (Italian for small mountain).  If you want to see more now visit their  website http://www.monticello.org

We spent the past five days in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania which is north of Scranton, Pa.  It was rainy/cloudy and cold the entire time so we didn’t stray too far from home and didn’t do much.  The park had poor telephone service and internet was only available after paying a daily fee and spending hours working through a secondary company.  That’s one reason why we didn’t post anything during that time.

One of the highlights of our stay in that area was spending Monday with Carol and Bruce, Jim’s family in Souderton.  During Mom and Pop’s protracted illnesses we were accustomed to seeing Carol  and Bruce at least once a month.  Prior to this trip, we hadn’t see them since last January and it was really good to see them again.  Besides, they have a jiffy type store named WaWa that has pumpkin spice coffee that we love.  So we got our Carol/WaWa fix for awhile.

On Sunday, we found a really nice church in Scranton and after services we found Victoria’s Gourmet Cafe.  We knew we were going to enjoy it when we read the specials.  One of the specials was the Political Omlette that listed fried bologna as the first ingredient.  We spent some time talking to the owner and hearing how he was keeping it going during these hard economic times.  His Italian background made it even more fun to talk to him.

On Tuesday morning, we left for Virginia and hopefully some sun and warmer temperatures.  We will only be there two nights and then on to Junaluska, North Carolina and the Blue Ridge Mountains for an entire week.  We are really looking forward to the week there because we are familiar with the area.  Of course, there will be a trip to Barber’s and if you’ve been to that area, you know what that means. 🙂

With a dismal weather forecast for the day and the prospects of spending more time being cold and damp, we decided to look for some indoor activities.  We tracked down a drug store and got our flu shots and then decided to head into Connecticut to see some of that State (Granville is just over the Mass/Conn state line).  Mystic Seaport sounded way too cold, so we started reading the small red print on the Atlas and something that sounded like it would be an acceptable way to spend the afternoon.

To our amazement, we found a hidden jewel.  Bristol, Connecticut turns out to be the clock building capital of the country and houses the American Watch and Clock Museum.

Clock museum – Bristol, CT

Eli Terry was a young clock maker living in Bristol in the 1700’s and actually was the first one to mass produce clocks, which had all wooden parts at that time.  This historic building displays hundreds of watches and clocks dating from Eli Terry’s time to the modern-day, including the CBS worldwide clock used by the TV station for all its broadcasts in the world from 1962 into the mid 1980’s.  There are huge grandfather clocks and shelf clocks made with intricate detail and artistry in excellent condition considering their age.  There are even several steeple clocks, including one still working that sits on the first floor with the pendulum and weights hanging into the basement.  Each week a Board Member and the Executive Director wind the clock to keep it working for one more week. Continue reading →

We arrived in Massachusetts in the rain.  What happened next was a first-time experience!  Although we had agreed beforehand if it was raining hard, we would not set up but just drive to the site and wait for it to stop.  Once we got there, we instinctively non-verbally agreed “let’s just get it over with”.  My motive was I wanted to get inside out of the damp and cold, in front of my fireplace with a warm cup of something.

The campground is in a mountainous area so most of the campsites are not totally level.  It’s so rural we had a black bear cub right in front of us as we got close to the campground.   My mind flashed back to Guntersville State Park and not sitting on all four tires.  Little did I realize I was being prophetic, but after unhitching and going through the leveling process, we had two tires not touching the ground!  Bear in mind, all of this is happening in the rain.  We needed to prop up the tires on the side that had taken to the air.  Jim got some wood planks from the office and we had to hitch back up and back the RV onto the 6 inch wide planks.

I admit I thought it would be too difficult to do on a first try.  I even tried to talk Jim out of the plan, but fortunately for me he knew what he was doing and got us on the planks on the first try.  From there, it was a quick 30 minute process to finish the hook up and get inside.  The weather is supposed to be miserable for the rest of our stay with only glimmers of hope on days with only a 40% chance of rain but cloudy 100% of the time.  I now realize why some people in the North have such bad attitudes.  If I lived here, I would be one of those people!

This was our last day in New Hampshire so we had to make the best of it in spite of the clouds and rain.  We heard about something called the Franconia Notch State Park and couldn’t resist checking it out.  There are two ‘must sees’ in the park and we wanted to see them before left on Tuesday.  The first of these sights is the Flume Gorge which “includes an easy walk of about 2 miles”, according to a 70 something looking woman at the visitor center.   She was quick to tell us she has walked it several times.  Well, how could I say I can’t do it!  After doing the walk I realized why she looked like she is 70 something.

Franconia Notch State Park, NH – MG getting tired going up steps on trail

That gorge is so different from anything I have ever seen.  It is created during the Ice Age Glaciers and cuts right through this mountain of granite and rock.   It’s only about 8 feet wide and runs off the top of the mountain in that area creating the Swift River (Pemigewasset River is the Indian name).  The sheer power of the river flowing down is almost frightening but spectacular to see.

Franconia Notch State Park, NH Top of Flume falls

I just don’t understand how it could be a 2 mile loop and be uphill the whole way!  As you walk through the gorge you actually climb about 180 steps all made of wood.

Swift River in Park

My advice to anyone wanting to see the wonderful things we have seen in the White Mountains is to do it before your knees get too old.  I can’t explain how my knees got so much older than the rest of my body, but I know they are.

Covered Bridge we crossed as we walked the park

The second “must see” is the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway and the Old Man of the Mountain.  Unfortunately the rain and fog made that trip impractical.

Franconia Notch State Park, NH – View from Rangers station

The foliage was spectacular and the mountains are awesome, but I sure would like to see some flat ground and sun again.

See how smart you are! Kancamagus IS an indian name and, in case you didn’t guess this part, it runs through the White Mountain National Forest.

Kancamagus Drive, White Mtns NH

This is how we spent a major portion of our day on Saturday.  Although the weather was cloudy all day and the temperature never got over 55 degrees, we at least did not have to deal with rain.  I think when you see the pictures you will admit Jim did a great job without sun to highlight the colors.  And what colors we saw!

Swift River along Kancamagus Drive White Mtns, NH

View from Kancamagus Dr

All this cool weather and rain seems to be bringing out the colors by the hour.   Of course, the altitude on the trail probably had something to do with it as well.  Every time we thought we were seeing the most beautiful fall foliage, we would go around another turn and something even more spectacular would delight our eyes.  God’s creation in nature is awesome!

The first significant stop on the highway was the Passaconaway Historic Site.  This home site was built in the early 1800’s remained privately owned until 1962.  It had no inside bathroom until the last owners added it around 1960 and used it as a summer home.  The original family had five daughters and the last of them lived in the home until 1938.   Not too long after the house, we found a water fall and, of course, had to go see the view.  Lucky for my knees this path was not the raw forest roots we dealt with at Bethel, but can you tell from the picture I was not that excited to walk up hill again?

Must I climb another trail?

I do have to admit the trip was well worth the effort.  The sheer power of water is so evident when you see what it can do to rocks and trees given enough time.  Please bear in mind that no photographer can truly capture what the eye can behold, but Jim gets pretty close.

Sabbaday Falls, White Mtns, NH

The last thing we stopped to see was Lilly Pond with a really wonderful reflection from the shore.

Lily Pond off Kancamagus Trail in White Mtns

By this point I was ready to eat anything, but again we lucked out and found a fabulous place where we feasted on the best butternut squash soup and Rachel sandwiches on pretzel rolls.  Stuffed and ready for a nap, we decided to drive north to Littleton to see their art show and street fest.  Evidently the majority of it had taken place while we were driving through the White Mountains.  We did, however, manage to save the trip when we found a candy store with 100 feet of candy jars three deep.  I have never seen this many different kinds of candy in one location.  Naturally, we did our best to help support the owner!

Candy store in Littleton, NH