June 19 – 21, 2015.   Thunder Valley is our favorite track.   We camp at Earhardt East Campground adjacent to Bristol Motor Speedway.   Our view is of the Nascar Track.  It’s a short walk through the campground and parking lot to the drag strip.

This is out first year having E T with us.   She’s going to spend a lot of time alone in the RV, so I went on line and found a great park to walk her, Steele Creek Park,   not 10 minutes from the track. Gotta love the internet 🙂

Friday night qualifying doesn’t start until 4:30 p.m., so we get second round under the lights.  Thunder Valley sights, sounds and smells are intensifying.  This is the only venue where you can get seats as close as 75 feet from the starting line.   From the burnout to launch of the 10,000 horsepower nitro dragsters and funny cars  you are on the edge of your seat.    The strip is built in between two mountains, hence Thunder Valley.   The Grand Stands are built into the side of one mountain.  This venue brings new meaning to the saying Shake, Rattle and Roll!

Saturday we had rain showers on and off throughout the day.  You might think this would ruin the day.  No way!  It made it better, we got to enjoy two night sessions of racing instead of one.

Sunday mornings most tracks have a track walk where fans can actually walk the 1/4 mile track with many of their favorite drivers.  The National Hot Rod Associations boasts that your ticket is a pit pass.  This is one of the reasons that David and I enjoy going to NHRA events so much.  You can talk to the drivers, get autographs and photos, watch the crews work on the  cars in the pits and so much more.

This was a great weekend of racing.  One of my favorite drivers, Richie Crampton won, driving the Lucas Oil Top Fuel Dragster.  He ran 1,000 ft in 3.88 seconds at 321 MPH.   Matt Hagan won driving the Rocky Boots Funny Car,  running 1,000 ft in 4.16 seconds at 303 MPH.  Erica Enders-Stevens won for Elite Motorsports in Pro Stock running the 1/4 mile in 6.68 seconds at 206 MPH.

David has been a Gear Head since he was in his teens.  Ten years ago, he took me to my first event in Englishtown, N.J. and I’ve been hooked ever since.  We spent our honeymoon in Indianapolis, Indiana at  “The Big Go” the  premier drag race of the year and have attended at least 4 events and at least one new venue a year ever since.

Next Stop Knoxville, Tennessee to get our RV repaired from the Tappan Zee Bridge accident.

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June 17 – 19, 2015.    This is our fourth time here and we will come back as many times as we can.    “The Virginia Creeper Trail traverses through some of the most rugged and picturesque scenery in the Eastern United States and is widely lauded as one of the most beautiful trails on the continent.”  Comment from brochure …  We agree 100%  🙂

The Trail is  34.3 miles and started as a Native American footpath.  It runs from Abingdon, VA to the Virgina/North Carolina border.  The town of Abingdon was originally named Wolf Hills by Daniel Boone when he came through and saw a pack of wolves.

We stay in Damascus, Virginia “Heart of the Virginia Creeper Trail”,  at the Creek Side RV Park.

Damascus Population: 815

Traffic Lights :0

The Creek Side RV Park has a whopping 6 sites.  It’s a real small town friendly park.   The owner Russ is very nice.   It’s well kept and all 6 sites back up to a very pretty creek.  Negatives are check out is 10:00 A.M., but you can negotiate a later check out with Russ, depending on how much electricity you ‘ll be using.  We paid an additional $10 (over the $30 per night) to check out late and leave the air conditioning on for E T 🙂

Dinner is always at the Damascus Old Mill Restaurant, Inn and Pub a short walk from the RV Park.  Excellent food, fair prices and fabulous atmosphere.  There’s seating out on the deck or in the dining room with views of the Mock’s Mill Falls.  Check out the TAXES on the photo of our check …  Virginia has a State Tax, Sales Tax, County Tax, Town Tax and worst of all Beer and Wine Tax.  I could NEVER live here!

In the morning, we walk across the street with our bikes to The Bike Station and are shuttled to White Top Station,  1.1  miles from the N.C. / VA border in the Jefferson National Forest. Don our driver is a very cool guy!

From there we ride the gradual  downhill trail for 18.3 miles back to downtown Damascus.  This is a spectacular ride that ANYONE in half way decent shape can ride.   The first 12.3 miles is easy.  The next 6 miles into downtown Damascus  is fairly level, with never more than a 1 or 2% grade.   Our 7 year old grandson, Zach, could ride this trail and thoroughly enjoy every minute.   The scenery is SPECTACULAR!  The 15.6 miles into Abingdon is quite a bit rougher with lots of open areas and bright sunshine.  If your like me and like to complete a trail,  it’s an accomplishment.  Do I ever have the need to do it again?  The answer is NO!  I’m good with the 18.3 miles from White Top Station to Damascus 🙂

This is the best of the best when it comes to bike trails.

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Next stop,  Thunder Valley at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol Tennessee!  NHRA Drag Racing at it’s best.

June 14 – 16, 2015.   This is a wonderful place if you like rustic camping, beautiful scenery and hiking. I would return in a heartbeat, David would NOT.
Not because he didn’t like it, but once was enough. He said the same thing about Hot Springs, Arkansas. These are the only two places in all of our travels to date that he’s said that he wouldn’t care to go back. My one and only place to never return, New Orleans. We just hiked miles of mountains and forests with bear, bobcat and snakes. I was not afraid. In New Orleans I was afraid of getting, robbed, stabbed or puked on. Different strokes for different folks!
Four days into our travels, David has already called me a pain in his “butt”. Can you believe it? All I did was say, “How about driving another 15 miles north, for the second time, to hike ANOTHER trail to ANOTHER waterfall. He was flabbergasted that I did not realize that HE was NOT enjoying driving me (and E T) up, up, up and down, down, down and all around these fabulous mountain twists and curves while dodging black bears, deer and worse yet, bicyclists. It’s unbelievable how many people are crazy enough to bicycle on these narrow, winding, mountainous roads. These roads have, NO shoulders and are highly traveled by all kinds of vehicles.
Well, I have been enjoying the scenery and I kind of thought David liked pulling in and out of all of the 30 or so Overlooks along our way, so I could take photos, but I’ve been wrong before 🙂 So I guess I am a pain in his butt. Better than a thorn in his side, right???
Hmmmmm, I might have to change the name of this “tour” from the Rock and Roll Tour to the Power of Love Tour!
Speaking of Rocks. We hiked the Windham Rock trail. These formations are the oldest in the park. I’ll post photos, but they do not do justice. The formations are sparkle-tacular!, This was one of the trails that we hiked that branched from a section of the Appalachian Trail. There was another that led to columnar jointing rock formations. This trail would be on my list if I came back. We just ran out of time and energy. Most of the trails here are miles long and have steep grades and rocky terrain.
E T bailed on the last hike. We had time for just one more hike … There is a trail called Traces that circles the campground. No driving just walk a few hundred yards from the RV to the trail head. We walked about 100 yards from the RV and E T laid down in the middle of the path. She was not going any further unless it was in the direction back to the RV. She’d had enough hiking! So we put her back in the RV and went without her. She is very spoiled and very smart, says my aching back, knees and feet 🙂
We’re on the road again, headed for one of our favorite small towns, Damascus, Virginia, home of the Virginia Creeper trail, one of our favorite bike trails.

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A few years back when I was doing a lot of hiking with the Appalachian Mountain Club I thought, how much fun it would be to hike the entire trail. Now I am thrilled to still be hiking portions.
My concern about not having enough trails that we could hike with E T was for naught. There are too many. She is in her glory.
To see the spectacular views you have to hike the trails.  Waterfalls, cascades, rock formations … The list goes on. We are having a wonderful time.
When we get back to civilization I have some great photos to post. Right now I am sitting on a stone wall at the Hogback Mountain Overlook typing.   At the campground we have zero for internet, wifi, hot spot … David’s IPhone works periodically.  I shut off my  3G phone to save the battery.
This is funny … A Red Top taxi cab just pulled into the overlook. I guess there’s a lot to the old saying Where There’s A Will There’s A Way!

June  15, 2015 Nice …. I may be getting spoiled by all of our travels, but I’m going to call this a very nice, pretty drive, park and campground. Today we drove from Thornton Gap to Dickey Ridge. Tomorrow we’ll go from Mathews Arm Campground to the Harry F. Byrd Visitor Center in our car. This will cover about 1/2 of Skyline Drive. I’ve already told David that I would like to drive the entire 105 miles from Front Royal to Rock Fish Gap, in a CAR. This is a rough go in an RV.  Not because of the roads, but the elevations.  The roads so far have been excellent. After driving the switchbacks of the Great Smokies these roads are a piece of cake. Once again, kudos to the National Park Service.
We are in BEAR country. We’ve already seen the biggest black bear that either of us has ever seen. David has hunted bear in Alaska and this one WOW-ed him. Sorry, no photo 🙂 It happened so quick that we both just gaped in amazement. He crossed the road in front of us in a matter of seconds.
The campground is pet friendly, but E T is not allowed on many of the trails we hope to hike. Since our rattlesnake encounter we’ve decided to stick with more popular and populated trails. She is having an awesome time driving with her nose out the window and seeing the views from the overlooks on Skyline Drive.
There are 75 overlooks along the drive. The views are gorgeous, but when you add a little history it makes them sparkle. Signal Knob is a location the Confederates used, during the Civil War, to send messages.  Pretty cool, when you think about the time and logistics. I can’t imagine what it would be like to climb these mountains on foot or horseback. We’re talking STEEP here!
There are four campgrounds in the park. Amenities are VERY limited. Mathews Arm, where we are camped boasts FLUSH TOILETS. The majority of campers here are serious tenters and backpackers. We’ll see what tomorrow brings but right now my impression is there’s a fine line of things to do here between the driving tour and backcountry hiking. David made me laugh today when he asked if I wanted him to take my bike off the RV. My answer was only if he wants to pick me up at the bottom of the mountain.

June 13, 2015.  We’ve had a couple of months to recoup and regroup and are on the road again.

We have fabulous travels planned for the next 11 months.  Yes, we already have reservations into May 2016.  We’ll be going back to some of our past favorites and have added a lot of  new places to explore.  I’m thinking of calling this “Our ROCK and Roll Tour. We’ve already learned that we are going to have to roll with the punches.  Or maybe I should say roll with the bumps along the road.

First stop … Tappan Zee Bridge … No Kidding!  We start this trip with a BANG!  Have you ever crossed a REALLY BIG BRIDGE and wondered what would happen if you had an accident?  Now you can ask me, I’m experienced.

There are three lanes going over the Tappan Zee.  We are in the middle lane,  there is a convoy of very cool Army vehicles in the right lane and there are the zippidy do da cars in the left lane.  Oh!  We don’t get hit by a zippidy do da car, we get hit by a U.S. Army Trac Truck (check out the photo, it’s a mini tank).   I saw it coming over into our lane and started yelling.  David hit the brakes and it hit the front passenger side, my side 🙁

The Army driver kept right on going.  He probably didn’t even feel the hit.   For that matter,  our RV hardly moved.   I call 911 and are told to pull off after the bridge.  We pull up along side the Army vehicle and I yell out the window,  “Excuse Me,  you just hit us,  can you pull over with us after the bridge?”

The Army personnel were very nice.  A  Major even stopped.   The damage wasn’t as horrible as we had expected.  The side view mirror is smashed to smithereens and there are a few scrapes,  but nothing devastating.  The important thing is nobody was hurt.

Here’s where Law Enforcement gets a bad name.  The New York State Trooper that showed up was a JERK.  He starts insinuating that there was no accident, like David was just driving down the highway looking for someone to blame the damage on.  It was totally ludicrous.  I had never gotten out of the RV.  I was inside comforting poor E T.  She was traumatized by being woken from her nap by  all the excitement.  The Trooper never even asked my name, let alone if anyone in he RV was hurt.

All the Army personnel  were nice,  David was nice,  the Trooper was NOT.  David pointed out the paint transfer on the Army vehicle,  point proven.  The Trooper filled out a half ass summary and we were on our way.  That’s all we wanted,  proof for our insurance company that we had an accident.  There was no reason for the bad attitude of the Trooper.

We continued on our way, but stopped early in Carlisle, PA, so that David could try to do something with the mirror.  If he can get the side view camera working that will get us to our first destination, Shenandoah Valley National Park.

The next few months are going to Rock!  Starting with a couple of cool formations here in Pennsylvania.

March 24,  2015         Have you ever heard the term tourist trap?   Dixie Cavern and Campground takes the  term tourist trap one step further.    It’s not only a tourist trap,  it’s also a dump!

As we are traveling north,  it has been my job to find places to stay for the night.   This time of year,  the further north you go the more difficult it is to find campgrounds or parks that are open.   We are also trying to stay as close to the highway as possible.   We are no longer “sightseeing” we are on a mission to get home.

On line,  Dixie Caverns Campground sounded decent.  It is only 1/2 mile off the highway so the negative feedback,  about hearing the highway traffic,  was understandable and expected.    We have been on the road 7 hours about 370 miles.  We’re  tired and are just looking for a safe place to spend the night .  From the road it just looked  “aged”.

At check in we were told they only had a couple of open sites.   One full hook up (50 amp),  40 ft pull through,  we will have to unhook the car  ($33.16).  Compared to what we’ve been paying for gorgeous campsites,  that may sound pricey,  but the farther northeast you go the more $$$$ you’re going to pay.  We were not upset about the price until we got into the campground.  It is an old, dirty, dilapidated, mud pit.  But it was full.   About half of the people were doing the same thing we were doing,  just passing through.   The other half lived in this squalor.  It was very sad.

Campers get a discount on tickets for the Cavern Tour.  Tickets for the Tour must be purchased at the Pottery Shop. We passed on both the Tour and visit to the Pottery Shop.

Anyone need to use the restroom?  We have the code!

We were lucky it got dark shortly after we arrived.

Tonight we couldn’t find a campground or park that was less than 30 miles off our route.  Our last night on the road we’re in the parking lot of the Hollywood Casino in Grantville, PA.  There are at least a dozen other “snowbirds” here doing the same thing we are doing.  Resting our travel weary bones.

This may seem a dreary way to end an awesome adventure,  but as David said to me this morning  “RVing isn’t about the destination,   it’s about the journey.”

Our next adventure,  in a couple of months,  will bring us back to  Virgina to Shenandoah Valley National Park,  The Virginia Creeper Trail and on to Bristol Motor Speedway  “Thunder Valley” in Bristol, Tennessee.   Stay Tuned 🙂

March 22, 2015    Independent Campgrounds  ….  Gotta take them for what they are …. you never know,  unless you’re a KOA camper.   Kampgrounds of America require certain criteria and have a very strict rating system.  You’re also paying “mucho dinero” for pristine camping.     David and I prefer “eclectic” to “pristine”.   When I called the Georgia RV Park in Commerce, Georgia  to see if they had a site available for last night, I knew before I hung up that we HAD to stay there.

I fell in love with Georgia the minute she started talking.  She has this adorable squeaky voice.  Gotta love a woman with a squeaky voice!   Everything she said made me giggle.    She was sooo much fun to talk too.   All I had asked was if there was a site available.  She told me everything there was to tell about the campground.  She told me stuff I didn’t need to know … the reason the bathrooms are so clean is because she cleans them.  She repeated the directions off the exit three times.  1.10 miles take a right, .50 miles take a right, .25 miles take a right.  It’s less than two miles off the exit.  If we get lost and call back and she doesn’t answer it’s because she’s cleaning the bathrooms.  I loved it!

It’s a “sardine can” campground.  We could only put slides out on one side and that was because no one was in the site next to us on that side.  We could have put them out on the other side, but then we’d be peeking in the neighbors windows, and vice versa.  The sites were all VERY long pull throughs with full (50 amp) hook up ($25).   Easy in, easy out, right off the highway and we didn’t have to unhook the car to back in to a site … perfect!

In the morning I got to meet many of our “seasonal/long term”  neighbors.  The photo below is of the camper that I watched two southern gentleman, carry two huge overstuffed living room chairs through the door and out to their pick up truck.   I knew they were southern  gentleman,  because they said “mornin’ ma’am” even though they were grunting and struggling to get the first chair through the door.  I couldn’t believe it when they went back in and got the second one.  I wanted to take a photo when they were cramming the chair through the door,  but I thought that would be rude.

Seasonal and long term campers often go all out decorating their patios. When you camp at “pristine” campgrounds that have lots of “rules”  you miss out on some extraordinary “sites”.

We plan on coming back to Commerce, GA.  The Atlanta Dragway is in Commerce and NHRA has a National event here.  It’s on our list of to do’s  🙂

March 22, 2015     Leaving the area is bittersweet.  We are ready to start heading North,  but the area is so nice we could easily spend a few more days here.    Mother Nature  makes it easier for us to leave.  It is foggy and just started raining.   As we drive out we have none of the gorgeous views we had coming in.  She’s challenging us to come back another time 🙂

Here comes the beautiful two mile bridge.

RVing is a wonderful way to travel.   You can see so much (when it’s not foggy) and be very flexible,  but it’s not for everyone.  To do the kind of RVing that we do you have to like driving and be a confident and skilled driver.  I have taken the RV on trips with the kids, no David.   I can drive it,  but don’t enjoy it.  I drive it like it’s a tractor trailer truck.   Three hours of driving and I’m exhausted.  David drives it like it’s a Mini Cooper.   This morning I had a craving for an Egg McMuffin.  David pulled the RV right in and around the McDonalds.  He would have gone through the drive through,  if the overhang was higher.   I would have pulled into a rest area off the highway and made my own.

The kind of RVing we do can also be a LOT of work.  If you only go to RV  type places with full hook ups,  it’s a piece of cake.   If you “rough it”  it means more work and conservation.   Using a dump station STINKS!   I don’t like to “dump”, but I  know how to when I have to.   David is really good at it,  quick and accurate,  so it’s best when he does  it 🙂

RVing also lets you being lots of “stuff’ with you, so you can do more without having to rent.  It also means having to load,  unload and clean all this “stuff”.    It helps that David has the energy of a thirty year old.  I am not tall enough or strong enough to lift the bicycles on or off the rack.  The inflatable kayak is compact,  but very heavy.  Even hooking up and unhooking the car takes muscle.

A sign that it was time to head home was when David did not want to go kayaking at Fort Pickens.  Not that he didn’t want to kayak, he’s just tired of lugging, unpacking, inflating, deflating,  packing and lugging the inflatable.  I carry the paddles and put them together, they break down into four pieces 🙂

When we get home he is going to try and figure out how to take our hard kayaks with us.  It’s this or buy another inflatable.  E T has gotten so big, the three of us no longer fit in one kayak.  She loves kayaking, not swimming. She likes to sit in the kayak and be paddled around.  Reminds me of another daughter I have 🙂

We just stopped at a Shell gas station in Alabama (exit 93 off I 65) $2.09 a gallon.  We took 60 gallons.

E T is an awesome RVer.  Today we drove 9 1/2 hours and drove 417 miles today.

We stopped for the night at the Georgia RV Park in Commerce,  Georgia.  Ironically,  it’s where NHRA has it’s National Event every year at the Atlanta Dragway in Commerce.  It is on our list of drag races to attend.   The campground is not the “cats meow” of campgrounds,  but it’s 1 1/2 miles off the highway and full hookup (50 amp) for $25 a night.   It’s still raining.  I hope it stops by  tomorrow afternoon.  My hope is to stop in Damascus,  Virgina  and ride my favorite biking trail, The Virginia Creeper Trail.   Another good day of traveling 🙂