February 13, 2016
DAY 3
8:20 a.m.  On the road AGAIN.  We were up early,  but we were enjoying our first stopover of the year, in our “home away from home”  we didn’t rush.  We enjoyed a nice home cooked blueberry pancake breakfast before hitting the road 🙂

It’s a beautiful day for traveling, blues sky, not much wind, but still cool, 30 degrees.   I 85 through N.C., S.C. And GA is not “the cats meow” as far as scenery goes.  This is not just a couple of miles, it’s hundreds of miles.

Today was most definitely all about the miles.  The most eventful site we saw was an SUV towing TWO cars. 

 We stop at the Alabama Welcome Center in hopes of finding someplace nice to stop for the night.  The Welcome Center “Greeter” was awesome.  She highly recommended the Sherling Lake Park Campground in Greenville, AL (I 65 Exit 130).  She said “You’ll want to stay there, it’s so pretty!”  Full hook-up for $28 a night, cash or check only, no credit card, 4 miles off the highway.  So, Greenville here we come again.
We changed Time Zones on the Alabama border.  It’s now 1:30 p.m. And  52 degrees,  It’s  getting warmer.  We stop at the I 65 Exit 158 Flying J  $1.44 gal  57.8 gal  $88.75.  David was a little disappointed, he was hoping the price would go down enough that the gas stations were paying him to fill up.
Here’s the story of the day.  We are checking IN at Sherling Lake Park Campground.  The host, speaking with a serious southern drawl says,  “I should tell ya, we got a fir.”  Oh Boy, I think “fair, I like fairs”.  He says  “It’s those gat dern gophers!” I think, what the heck is a  Gopher Fair!”  He says “They smoke them see-garettes an don stomp-um out good.  Happens ah the time.”  We call-um BUTTHeads!”  Meanwhile, as he’s talking, a fire truck, a police car and a bulldozer with sand drive by.  “Don  worry”, he says “It ain’t the campground on fir, it’s the goph course in the park.”  The campground and golf course are in the park.  So we just checked in to a Park that was on fire.  The adventures continue!

February 12, 2016
Day 1
David’s alarm clock goes off at 5:00 a.m.  He wakes me at 5:30 a.m. No Snow!  We’re  leaving at 6:00 a.m.  I’ m just getting out of the shower and I hear him coming up the stairs, his feet do not sound happy.  I look out the window and it’s snowing.
If we’re going to go,  it has to be today.  The weather forecast for the week ahead doesn’t look good.  We wait the snow out and get on the road at  9:30 a.m.  The roads are fine,  but the wind is blowing 20 – 25 knots.  It wasn’t the best of drives,  but it wasn’t the worst.  Coming back from our 2011 cross country trip, in Old Bessie,  we drove through Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle during a wind storm.  I was changing my name to Dorothy.  Seriously, other than the Ruby Red Slippers I have no interest in being Dorothy.

     Our first treats of the day.  I 78 Exit 7,  Bloomsbury, NJ  Gas $1.59 a gallon  (62.5 gal $100) and Burger King for lunch.  Sorry McDonald’s,  I like BK fries better.
Here is my story of the day.  I’m in line at BK.  There is a lady in front of me and a big, gruff, tough, trucker guy behind me.  A young cashier takes the lady in front of me’s order and asks for her name.  At BK your not a number, your a person.  The lady says “Barbara” and steps to the side.  I give our order and she asks my name. I say Barbara, her face shows panic, she says  “If you’re both Barbara how will you know which order is yours?”  So I say “Why don’t you just put David on my order.”  Then I turn to the trucker and say “Unless your name is David.”  He answers “No, my name is Sue!”  That was funny. We all laughed.
The skies were threatening all day.   Going through Carlisle, PA  I learned about virga … when precipitation hangs below clouds, but doesn’t touch the ground.

At 5:05 p.m. We pulled into the Hagerstown, MD Motel 6 $47.99 plus tax $54.63, not bad.  No frills, clean, WARM and E T is Welcome!  We’ve traveled almost 400 miles (5 States CT, NY, NJ, PA, MD)

DAY 2
We don’t get on the road until 8:20 a.m.  It’s COLD 11 degrees. 

Even though WE are not sleeping in the RV we’re keeping the heat on and using propane.  We stop at one of our favorite Gas/Propane Stops in Winchester, VA (I 81 Exit 323). Top off Gas $159 gal (39.25 gal $62.77). Propane $3.00 gal we took 13 gal $41.00.  It’s now. 17 degrees.  Getting Warmer!

     The scenery is becoming pretty.   The rolling hills of Virginia are beautiful. 

We get our first glimpse of the Shenandoah Mountains. I’m trying to talk David into coming back in the fall and driving the entire 100 miles of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.  Wish me luck!

There isn’t as much snow here as I expected, but it’s snowing in the mountains.

     Last Gas Stop for today.  Filler-up!  I 85 Exit 102 Flying J Blacksburg, S.C.  $1.39 per gallon!!  (63 gallons $1.36 3 cent per gal discount with Flying J card, $88.00). Words I NEVER thought I’d hear David say “I’m almost looking forward to getting gas!”
We are spending the night at the Springwood RV Park (aka Trailer Park) in Greenville, S.C.  ($31.50 full hook up).  Nothing special here except it’s only three miles off the highway.  E T is enjoying herself, there are lots of “stray kitty cats”.  I don’t think she’ll sleep all night

     We covered 498 miles today (4 states WV, VA, NC, SC).

Next stop Alabama.

February 10, 2016
The Connecticut Hillbillies are packed and ready to roll.

We have the kitchen sink, car, bike, kayaks … The cupboards and compartments are filled and overflowing.   David refused to strap my rocking chair to the roof of the RV.  That was only after I refused to sit in it.

E T was routing for the rocking chair.  Her and I are going to have some territorial issues regarding the passenger seat.

We are late headed south this year.   We are contending with the El Nino effect.  Had we left as planned on Feb 2, our planned route would have taken us through wind, rain and tornado riddled Tennessee and Alabama to Gulf Shores.  Not the sunny south that most imagine.  So our home away from home is weathering her share of snow and like us, waiting patiently to get rolling.   It’s all part of the adventure!

It’s not the first time weather has altered our plans.  In 2011 we left on our first cross country trip only a few days after Hurricane / Tropical Storm Irene.  Our biggest obstacle was finding a gas station open that had gas.  Another  challenge was traveling coast to coast in twenty year old,  “Old Bessie”.  We should have had more faith, she did great!

Like most of our trips we don’t have a lot of places that we have to be on a certain date.    Last weekend,  we had hoped to be in Mobile, Alabama for the kick off of their Mardi Gras, but wind and rain forced the organizers to cancel, good thing we weren’t there.   So, we put Alabama Mardi Gras on our list of  “next times”.

Our first reservations were/are at the Gulf Shores (Alabama) State Park Campground.  The folks there were great to work with readjusting our dates, so we didn’t even lose our deposit ($40).  Instead of 8 days there, hopefully, we’ll have 2.

It looks like we’re finally getting the two day break we need between storms to leave, hurray!

Next Stop … 380 miles south … Pet Friendly,  Motel 6 … Hagerstown, Maryland …  Too Cold for camping til we get much further south.

A marathon weekend!  My son, Richie, ran his twentieth state marathon this weekend.  We traveled down in the mini van.  No RV this trip 🙁  It was a nine hour “marathon” drive.    It was well worth it.  Our room at  the Eurosuites Hotel in Morgantown, West Virginia was very nice and comfortable.  It was an easy 1.4 mile walk to the Marathon start/finish line and we were able to see Richie run by the Hotel at the 1 1/2 mile and 6 1/2 mile marks.  For marathon spectators this was a perk.

We spent Saturday hiking at Coopers Rock State Park in Bruceton Mills, WV,  just east of Morgantown.   Coopers Rock is one of the most northern state parks in West Virginia.  A few years back, David and I camped at Pipestem Resort State Park in Pipestem, WV  on of the southern most state parks.  It is one of our favorite  WV parks with a great campground.   I was excited to check out another WV State Park.  It did not disappoint.   Both parks are gorgeous,  well maintained and very visitor friendly.

Our first hike of the day was the Henry Clay Iron Furnace trail.  The 1 mile trail takes you back in time to the 1800’s, ending at the huge stone furnace.  There was a moment of panic when, 10 year old DJ, disappeared through an opening in the side of the furnace.  We all ended up crawling in afterward him.  It was amazing getting to see the furnace inside and out.  Very cool!

Coopers Rock SP has over 50 miles of hiking trails.  We enjoyed hiking four of them, each one different than the other.  DJ enjoyed climbing the 30 ft boulders on the Rock City Trail.   We all enjoyed exploring the caves,  crevices and views at the Overlook Trail.  The Rattlesnake trail was the most challenging.  It was a combination of twisting,  turning,  up and down,  over and under rocky terrain and rock formations.   A great workout, ask my legs 🙂

Coopers Rock has a campground with some full hook up sites.  It has been added to my list of places to camp.

The photo opportunities are endless.  Enjoy a few 🙂

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Back in Morgantown,  we stopped at the Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe for a late lunch.   The food was delicious.   It’s a chain that I hope makes it’s way  further east.

On the last leg of this trip, we were traveling I 80 through Norwalk, Ohio.  Home to one of our,  favorite drag strips at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park.  We HAD to stop.  The National Muscle Car Association (NMCA)  Nationals were being held there.   One of our favorite categories, Pro Mod are featured,  as well as,  The Chevrolet Performance Shootout (rescheduled from Indy) and the Cobra Jet Showdown.  The racing was fun to watch.  It was nowhere near as exciting as NHRA drag racing events,  but it was a great wind down to this trip.

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David has been to several NMCA events and this was only be my second.  We’ve been to several National Hot Rod Association events at Summit Motorsports Park.  They are the most fan friendly  track of any we’ve been to.  David gave a call to their hospitality and they  found us a campsite at an awesome campground 10 miles west of them,  Gotta Getaway Campground in Belleview, Ohio (water and electric, pull through $31 a night).  This is a beautifully maintained campground with lots to do both in it and in the area.  I’ve put the Firelands Rails to Trails Bike Path on our next time list of to dos.

E T’s favorite thing to do at the campground was sit in the passengers seat and watch our neighbor,  a very handsome boy poodle.  If she had been able to go out and play with him,  I think it might have been true love.

The wind has been tremendous for the past two days, 35 – 40 knots.  David has done some white knuckle driving and is in need of a little R and R.  We were looking to stay put for at least two nights.   The gal at the Iowa Welcome Center recommended Lake Macbride State  Park Campground.  She said the area is beautiful and there are very nice hiking and biking trails.

We took her suggestion and have no complaints (full hookup $19 a night).   Given the chance in the future,  we would  stay,  at  one of the four Coralville Lake Campgrounds (full hook up $26 a night).  Coralville Lake is run by the U.S. Army corps of Engineers.   Lake Macbride is run by  the State of Iowa.  Coralville is top of the line in every aspect.  Lake Macbride is showing the signs of budget cuts.  We took advantage of both opportunities.  Devonian Fossil Gorge at Coralville was our favorite.

This is not a super scenic area, but it was perfect for just spending a couple of days relaxing.

E T is off all of her medications now and getting her energy back.   She’s met lots of nice people, but we’re holding back on doggie interaction until the last of the wounds close up. We all had a nice day of hiking.  the Gorge was pretty interesting.  You are allowed to walk down and among the fossils.  It’s pretty cool how easy they are to spot. It’s an Archaeologists playground!

Just a mini slideshow with a  few relaxing photos.

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First stop entering Nebraska,  I  80,  Exit 20,  “Welcome”  Center.   While I’m traipsing all over the brush taking photos of the wildflowers,  David is walking E T in the parking lot.   He yells over to me, ” Hey!   Are you paying attention to the signs?”

What the heck is a Bull Snake????  What kind of a Welcome is this???

Thinking a good stop for the night might be in a people populated area vs “Bull Snake  Country”,  we spent the night at Nebraska’s Number One Tourist  Attraction,   Cabela’s RV Park  ($31.06 full hook up).    Sidney, Nebraska is the home of Cabela’s World Headquarters and first store.   More than a million people a year,  from all over the world visit the store.   According to one of the brochures I picked up, it really is listed as the Number 1 Tourist Attraction in Nebraska!!

In the morning we drove across the street to a “do it yourself” RV wash, then to Walmart.   We were in a “metropolis”!

There are places that we would like to stop in Lincoln and Omaha,  but have put them on our list for next time.  Being retired and traveling the way we do,  time is of no essence.     We had planned a VERY ambitious 14 week trip.   After traveling  10 of the last 12 weeks, we are both in agreement,  we miss home.

So we sail on through Nebraska, in two days,  almost 500 miles.    The scenery drastically changed from rocky and dry to green and plush.    The air is fresh and clear,  no more residual smoke  from wild fires in the west.

Next Stop Iowa

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Flaming Gorge was on our list of possible places to stop on our way to Yellowstone.  It would have added at least, an additional 50 miles to our trip.  Never having been there we opted out.

After cancelling our plans to travel  further down The Pacific Coast Highway 101 into California,  because of the wild fires,  we put it back on our list of places to stop.

Live and learn, should have done more research.  Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area is over 200,000 acres,  partially in Wyoming, the majority in Utah.  We drove in off I 80 onto Scenic Wyoming 530.  Twenty four miles of gorgeous scenery on a nice paved, non thrilling road, to Buckboard Crossing Campground  ($16 w/electric) and Marina.  The key word here is Marina. This area is a boaters paradise.    We spent the night and woke up at 5:00 a.m. to do a little animal viewing and catch the sunrise.

After doing a little research, that I should have done sooner,  we would have had a lot more to see and do had we come in from I 40 in Utah.  Next time!

Not a lot to do,  but great photo opportunities!  Enjoy 🙂

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This stop  was thrilling!  No scenic highways,  byways or back roads without guard rails,  no cliff hangers, or switchbacks,  this  was all about SPEED!

Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway is home to some of the fastest  speed records in the world.  This year,  for the second  year in a row,  Speed Week at the Flats was cancelled,  because of unsafe conditions.   Mother Nature and/or our every changing world,  is taking its toll on our natural resources.

We were fortunate enough to be on the Flats during some time trials.   The sound,  sights and atmosphere was unbelievable.    I don’t like to go fast,  but I LOVE watching vehicles  go hundreds of miles an hour in seconds.  Someone had an amplifier set up and the sound of “speed” was enhanced ten fold.

E T was in awe of the “salt”.   She loves  water especially salt water.  Her first steps onto the Salt Flats were taken very carefully.  The scent didn’t match the texture that she is used to. Sixty seconds and she was ready to go.   Kind of like a warm up,  burn out and launch!

The Bonneville Salt Flats consist of 44.000 acres of densely packed salt pan.  The actual Speedway is 80 ft wide by 10 miles long.    After leaving the Speedway,  we drove for approximately 32 miles before we saw green again.   For anyone into speed or fast cars this is a phenomena.   For anyone looking for scenery like no other,  this is the place to see it.

The artwork was donated to the State of Utah,  by  Swedish artist,  Karl Momen.  It is said that he was moved to create the tree after having a vision of a tree while driving across the desolate Bonneville Salt Flats.  It is only fitting that it acts as a gateway to the area, heading west and a sweet farewell heading east on I-80.

Enjoy the slide show.

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Last night we stopped for the night on the outskirts of Reno, Nevada at the Bordertown Casino and RV Resort.    The RV Park was overpriced.  ($37.87 full hook up).    It bragged a dog walk,  but there was nowhere to walk E T without watching your step.   The Casino, next door,  was a dump.    We walked in and walked out.  The cigarette stench was disgusting.  The bar and bartender looked as if they’d never seen a wash cloth.  The majority of patrons were  very creepy.   We were on the road again at 6:00 a.m.

We had hoped to make The Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah,  but stopped about 60 miles short.   I had spotted,  The Angel Lake RV Park,  as we were driving through Wells, Nevada.  It was close to I 80, and it looked quaint.   When we got off the next exit for gas I asked David if he wanted to see if they had a site available and go back.  We were glad they did.  The gal that checked us in was very nice.  We told her we were looking for a nice place to walk E T.  She told us about  Angel Lake.  It was a 12 mile drive, on Nevada Scenic Byway,  Humboldt Rd, through the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.  The first 8 miles were an easy,  very scenic drive.  The last 4 miles took us switch backing up a mountainside,  on a very  narrow,  very thrilling road.  The views of the mountains,  sagebrush forest,  cattle grazing fields, and farmland were breathtaking.   From 4,500 ft elevation to 8,500 ft with the final destination,  a gorgeous crystal clear lake at the top of the mountain was spectacular.    The hiking trail around the lake was a little rockier,  steeper and much more challenging than we had anticipated,  so we settled for a walk around the waters edge.

It was a nice way to get out in the nice crisp,  but smokey,  air after hours of driving.   It’s hard to believe that the smoke from the fires on the coast  is making a noticeable difference here.

Once again, on a clear day my photos would have been significantly sharper.

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