After leaving Washington DC we continued south on the renowned Blue Ridge Parkway - a 449 mile two-lane parkway running along the spine of the Appalachian Mountains and connecting Shenandoah National Park on the north end to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the south end. We didn't drive the whole 449 miles on the Parkway, as it's a narrow, winding road requiring a lot of concentration for the driver of a 15 ton motorhome, but the part we did drive was spectacular. The leaves were still bright and colorful, and there were many sweeping views of the Shenandoah Valley spread out below.
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| Blue Ridge Parkway |
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| Foliage on the Blue Ridge Parkway |
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| Shenandoah Valley |
Once you get on the Parkway there aren't many ways to get off and Bob was getting a bit weary of the narrow winding road, so we were happy to see a sign indicating a crossroad which the map showed would take us to a parallel highway. We thought we'd explore that road for a while, then return to the Parkway after a rest. But what the map didn't show was that the crossroad was even more narrow and winding than the Parkway, and what's more it was extremely STEEP! And no place to turn around . . . so we had a most exciting and thrilling ride down a rollercoaster of a hill, twisting and turning and hoping like heck our motorhome could make the tight turns and the brakes didn't fail! It was actually quite pretty, and passed some places with wonderful names - like "Dismal Hollow" and "Doom's Crossing" and "Raggedy Edge" (I couldn't make this up!!), but we were awfully glad to get to the bottom of the hill at last.
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| Roller Coaster Hill |
A bit later we had another adventure when we inadvertently managed to get on what was basically a golf cart path. Our GPS, which we've named Garmella (it's a Garmin, so it seemed to fit), had told us this was a shortcut to the road we were looking for, and we believed her! Once we were committed we had to follow it to the end - no place to turn around again - and eventually we did come to the road, but it was a bit nerve-wracking. We were sure glad to see our campground at the end of that day!
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| Our Adventure on a Cart Path |
The next day we were back on the Parkway, in the car this time, on our way to the Blue Ridge Music Center which celebrates the musical traditions of the Appalachian Mountains. We were lucky enough to hear the Buck Mountain Band, an old-time band made up of fiddle, banjo, mandolin and upright bass - they were great!
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| Buck Mountain Band |
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| At the Blue Ridge Music Center |
The Center is built on hundreds of acres, so I got the chance to do a little hiking on one of the trails. All the leaves underfoot were red, orange and yellow, making the path a tapestry of color, and the air was fragrant with the fallen leaves. Fabulous!
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| Tapestry of Leaves |
We stayed on the Parkway a bit longer, crossing into North Carolina and enjoying our last afternoon of commanding views and beautiful foliage.
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| Valley View |
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| Little Glade Millpond |
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| Mosiac of Color |
We spent several days in the mountain town of Asheville, North Carolina, exploring the town and its surroundings. This town has everything - the Great Smoky Mountains to hike in, the Appalachian Trail, rivers to raft, and a lively music scene!
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| Foliage on an Asheville Avenue |
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| Storm Over Asheville |
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| Enjoying the View |
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| Asheville Church |
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| Colorful Hillside |
The Great Smoky Mountians were nearby, so we took a car and went exploring. The drive up the mountain was gorgeous even though here many of the leaves had already fallen, making a carpet of color to walk on.
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| Great Smoky Stream |
Even though it was raining Penny and I decided we HAD to hike on the Appalachian Trail in the Smokies, so while Bob and Mark waited in the car we took off up the trail in a light drizzle wearing our raincoats. We hadn't gone far when the drizzle began to turn to downpour, and by the time we got back to the car we were drenched. But it was worth it - the trail was lovely even in the rain, and even though the views of the Smokies were lost in the fog . . .
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| Appalachian Trail in the Smokies |
By the time we were ready to head back to the campground the rain had stopped and the fog had lifted, so we had some great views of the colorful hillsides and valleys of the Smokies. Later that evening we went to the Fiddlin' Pig, a bar in Asheville featuring the bluegrass band Balsam Range - they were terrific musicians and sang beatiful harmony. We thoroughly enjoyed their music.
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| Green Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains |
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| Balsam Range at the Fiddlin' Pig in Asheville |
From Asheville we made the scenic trip up to Nashville, Tennessee - Music City, USA! We visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and the famous RCA Studio B, where Elvis and Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash and virtually every big star of the day recorded their records. It was fun to imagine Elvis inside the glass, crooning into the microphone - "Are You Lonesome Tonight".
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| RCA Studio B |
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| Not Elvis, But Bob at the Microphone in Studio B |
When you're in Nashville you have to go to the Grand Ole Opry - we were lucky enough to see the Oak Ridge Boys and Bill Anderson, and a new artist named Brett Eldridge. I sat next to his great-aunt, who told me that his entire extended family had come to Nashville from Illinois to attend his first appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. He was pretty good, too!
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| At the Grand Ole Opry |
Nashville has a lively nightlife scene around Broadway and 2nd Avenue, so Saturday night we decided to go honky-tonkin'. We started at the Wildhorse Saloon where there was a band called "Brother Trouble" - quite good.
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| Brother Trouble at the Wildhorse Saloon |
Soon enough things began to get very lively downtown - it was the Saturday night before Halloween and the streets were full of people in wild costumes roaming the streets and going in and out of all the bars on Broadway, and there are a lot of them, all with live music. On this night most of the music was rock, blasting out onto the street into one big jumble of drums and electric guitars . .. it was quite the party!! We went into a few bars, but couldn't stand the loudness and the crowds - too old I guess. It was fun to be part of it though, even if we were home and in bed by 11!
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| Halloween Eve on Broadway in Nashville |
In Nashville we said goodby to our travel partners Mark and Penny - they're headed for Florida for the winter while we're going to point our motorhome west soon and aim for home. It's been great to share the adventures with our dear friends and we'll miss them.
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| Our Farewell Photo |
Bob and I stayed in Nashville for a few more days, driving up to the little town of Rosine, Kentucky, one day to visit the home of Bill Monroe, the father of bluegrass music. He grew up on Jerusalem Ridge, which was his inspiration for his famous song of the same name, just outside Rosine.
The family home is still standing, totally restored by the Monroe Foundation after nearly rotting away from neglect some years ago. It was interesting to see where his formative years were spent, especially the front porch where Bill and his brothers would play music in the evenings.
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| Family Home of Bill Monroe |
Bill Monroe is buried in the small lonely cemetery in Rosine, along with his parents and his seven brothers and sisters.
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| Rosine Cemetery |
One weekday evening Bob and I went to Broadway again to see what it would be like on a quiet night. There was one guy with a guitar singing to an almost empty room at the Legends Bar, which had been a madhouse on Halloween Eve. What a difference! The Legends Bar is where many of today's top country music stars got their start, singing just like this guy, hoping to be noticed by someone and whisked away to stardom . . .
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| A Lone Singer at the Legends Bar |
Before leaving Nashville we went to hear Vince Gill sing at the world-famous Ryman Auditorium. He has so much talent it's almost like kryptonite - brings you to your knees when he sings with that powerful tenor voice. It was a real treat to hear him!
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| Vince Gill at the Ryman Auditorium |
On the same program was a relatively new country star, Josh Turner, who seemed to have a rabid following especially among the young ladies. It was fun to see a likely star of tomorrow . . .
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| Josh Turner at the Ryman Auditorium |
Leaving Nashville we decided to try our luck on another parkway, this time the Natchez Trace Parkway. This parkway parallels the age-old trail used by Natchez, Chickasaw, and Choctaw Indians as well as later French and Spanish people journeying from the Mississippi River up to Nashville. It's very scenic and lightly travelled, and even though it was raining we thoroughly enjoyed the quiet beauty of the countryside . . . and no trucks!!
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| Rain on the Natchez Trace Parkway |
Our destination was the tiny town of Red Bay, Alabama - the birthplace of our motorhome. Red Bay is the home of Tiffin Motorhomes, the manufacturer of our coach, and we were hoping to tour the plant and meet some of the people Bob has talked to over the last few months when we had trouble or questions. Also we wanted someone to look at our trouble slide to make sure it's now working properly.
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| Leafy Street in Red Bay, Alabama |
In order to be first in line for service in the morning we spent the night INSIDE the service bay at McKinney RV - an otherworldly experience I hope to never repeat. They pronounced our troubled slide completely healthy, which was good to hear, and fixed a couple of other minor issues that had developed over the last few months, and then we were on our way.
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| Inside the Service Bay at McKinney RV |
One afternoon we toured the Tiffin plant - here we could walk around on the production floor watching them build motorhomes from the bottom up. Very interesting and impressive! If you order a brand new Tiffin motorhome you can come to the factory and watch it being built - you can bring your folding chairs and follow it down the line! Bob also had a chance to meet Don, the technical wizard who had spent so much time on the phone with him during our escapades with the rogue slide. He was our hero!
Once we left Red Bay we were like horses heading for the barn - all we could think about was getting home! Worried about negotiating snow in the motorhome, we really wanted to get home before the winter weather settled in - no matter which route we took we'd need to get over some high mountains, and the sooner the better. We started by travelling through the state of Mississippi, right through without stopping . . .
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| Cotton Fields in Mississippi |
We decided to follow Interstate 40 all the way across to California if the weather would cooperate. In many places I-40 duplicates the old Route 66, so it was an historic as well as efficient way to get home. There was already snow in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, so we had to stay at least as far south as I-40 and hope we could get through the mountains of Arizona without trouble. First state - Arkansas . . .
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| Arkansas |
Next state - Oklahoma . . . the last of our 49-state goal, yay!! When we're on the road in serious travel mode we will frequently stop for the night in a Walmart parking lot. It isn't glamourous, but it's safe and convenient . . .and free. And sometimes can be quite lovely . . .
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| Sunset at the Elk City, Oklahoma, Walmart |
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| Western Oklahoma |
We're on a roll now - we're averaging 400 miles a day, and really making good time!
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| I-40 in Texas |
The scenery started to get a bit more interesting in New Mexico - mesas and red rock, with mountains in the distance . . .
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| I-40 in New Mexico |
Next state - Arizona! The weather has been perfect since we left Red Bay - sunshine every day, enhancing even the flattest landscape, and now that we're in Arizona with some serious landscape the sun is even better.
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| Arizona Landscape |
Moshi and Kibo seem to sense that we're on a beeline for home - they don't complain at all about the long hours on the road! They just nap, and nap . . . .and nap . . .
Kibo loves to get up on the dashboard in the afternoon sun . . .
Even though we're on the road our life isn't exactly rough . . . we have all the comforts of home on board. When we stop for the day and open up the slides we have a nice roomy little abode with even a few luxuries.
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| Our Dining Room |
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| Our Living Room |
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| Our Kitchen |
Kibo and Moshi love it when Bob gets his toolbox out - they know a fixit project is in the offing, and they can help!
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| Moshi and Kibo Getting Ready to Help Bob With a Fixit Project |
In Arizona we stayed at the Route 66 KOA in Seligman, just east of Kingman, out in the vast high desert country.
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| Arizona Sunset With Moon and Train |
Our weather was still perfect, but now that we're in the high country above 5000 feet it's getting very cold at night, down to 20 degrees. We had to disconnect our water hose and keep the furnace going at night to keep our pipes from freezing. But during the daytime it's beautiful and warm . . .
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| I-40 Near Flagstaff, Arizona |
Even though Garmella has led us on a few wild goose chases, she has been a big help and on several occasions has kept us from getting lost. We appreciate her patience and good humor, although when we ignore her instructions too many times she gets an edge to her voice . . .
Next state - California!! Crossing the Mojave Desert we ran into a small dust storm . . . .
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| Dust Storm on the Mojave Desert |
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| Mojave Desert in California |
In Barstow, California, we said goodbye to our friend Interstate 40 and drove west on US 58 over the mountains past Tehachapi and down into Bakersfield, where we stayed the night at our favorite Walmart. The next day we started up the too-familiar Interstate 5 . . .we'll follow it all the way home.
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| I-5 in California, Brown Hills and Orchards |
Even I-5 has its moments of beauty . . .
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| California Sunset |
Moshi likes to sleep in the basket we keep on the dashboard to hold glasses, maps, phones, CDs, etc. She's really a little bit too big for it, but manages to squeeze inside . . .here she's cuddled up with her favorite bluegrass singers, Dailey and Vincent.
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| Moshi With Dailey and Vincent |
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| Bugs on the Windshield at Twilight |
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| My Writing Desk |
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| Our Bedroom |
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| Kibo Riding Shotgun |
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| Moshi Loves Mountain Hardware! |
As we work our way north in California we can't believe our luck with the weather! This is the day we'll cross over the Siskious Mountains which can be very treacherous in bad weather - they've already had one serious snowstorm this season. But we have perfect weather . . sunshine and no wind . . a beautiful day to be in the mountains. Mount Shasta dominates the landscape as we drive north of Redding, and even Shasta Lake looks great, with the highest water level we've seen in years.
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| Shasta Lake |
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| Mount Shasta |
Finally, we're over the last mountains and into Oregon! And still sunshine, a miracle . . .
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| Oregon Near Ashland |
Somewhere along the way we picked up this nifty little map . . .we've marked with crystals all the states and provinces we've been in with the motorhome. Forty nine states, eight Canadian Provinces and one Territory (Yukon)!
When we're on the road with the slides in we don't have nearly as much room to move around, but it's still a cozy home.
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| With the Slides In |
Moshi and Kibo like to drink running water from the faucet when it's available. They sit patiently by the sink waiting for some kind person to come along and turn it on . . . I could probably teach them to turn on the faucet but then they'd never turn it off!
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| Could I Please Have a Drink? |
We spent our last night in Canyonville, Oregon at the Seven Feathers Casino where I won $17! But we woke up in the morning to . . . .rain!!! And clouds . . .the first bad weather since we left Alabama seven days ago, but it's what you have to expect for November in Washington . . .
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| Welcome Home!! Rain . . . . |
We pulled into our dark driveway in a light rain at 5 pm on Saturday, November 13, glad to be home at last! We had a fabulous adventure - drove 11,718 miles over 125 days and through 6 time zones, and stayed at 55 different campgrounds in 23 states and 6 Canadian provinces. We lived through two tornado watches, the effects of one hurricane (Earl) and one tropical storm (Nicole), at least four severe thunderstorms, and five deluges. We saw a million beautiful sights, met many wonderful people, and had countless memorable moments - the trip of a lifetime!
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| We're SO Glad to Be Home!!! |
Thanks for travelling with us!!
Ever Onward,
The Roadcats
