Lake Wateree State Park, Winnsboro, South Carolina May 9, 2016

From Georgia we traveled to Winnsboro, South Carolina and parked at Wateree State Park. The RV front door was right on the lake.

Site 27

   

                                                            Beautiful Sunrise

  

Very Wooded Area, Peaceful 

Our closest RV neighbor

In the area around Winnsboro the roads are very hilly, curvy and narrow.

However, from South Carolina we headed to Virginia over the Piedmont Mountains, Blue Ridge Mountains and Appalachian Mountains. At the South Carolina/Virginia state line the highway passes through the 5,412 foot East River Mountain Tunnel, which is one of only two mountain tunnels that runs under a state line. (Guess who was driving this 36 foot motorhome towing a car?) The highway makes a six mile hill climb of over 1,500 feet. North of the Virginia state line at the top of climb the highway goes over the summit of Fancy Gap with an elevation of over 3,100 feet. Wheww we made it, don't ask what the miles per gal were......

Kennesaw Mountain, Kennesaw, GA May 5, 2016

We spent part of an afternoon at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Georgia. It is located about 20 miles northwest of Atlanta.

Part of General Grant’s plan to end the Civil War was to send General Sherman's Army into Georgia to destroy General Joseph Johnston's Confederate Army as well as his supply operations. During Sherman’s march south from Tennessee into Georgia, the peace and serenity of Kennesaw Mountain was abruptly interrupted on the morning of June 27, 1864.

War severely altered the landscape of what is now Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Soldiers cut down trees and tore apart homes to build earthen fortifications for protection known as earthworks. The thousands of soldiers marching through the area killed grass, leaving large patches of exposed clay that, when it rained, turned into pools of thick mud. The fauna was badly damaged by foraging soldiers, fire, and the battles.

With the destruction of trees and other flora, animals fled the area. The noises of battle and the invasion of thousands of humans into their habitat forced animals to seek shelter elsewhere.

Eight miles of earthworks are still visible today at the Cheatham Hill battlefield location of the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. The plant life growing on the earthworks today helps keep them intact. Without this growth, the fortifications would be subject to soil erosion. 

Illinois Monument

On a very hazy day, Stone Mountain from Kennesaw Mountain

Atlanta from Kennesaw Mountain

Some of the information was obtained from:
https://www.nps.gov/kemo/learn/historyculture/preservation.htm

Summer 2016 Journey April and Early May

I traded the SunnyBrook Fifth Wheel and Silverado for a Fleetwood Bounder 35H. We picked it up in Tampa on February 22nd and took a few days in early April for an orientation trip to Hope Sound, FL.

We had a great experience at Jonathan Dickinson State Park. We learned a lot about the motorhome and towing (hitching and unhitching) a car.

We began the summer 2016 journey on May 2nd from Auburndale, FL heading toward Michigan.

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We stopped overnight in Cecil, GA and parked at Cecil Bay RV Park right off I-75. The road sound did not keep us awake.

Then on to my daughter’s, north of Atlanta, GA. Lots of hills,curves and narrow roads, but we managed to park in their driveway for several nights.

If you are ever in the area, make sure you schedule dinner at “Going Coastal” in Canton, GA. They are a “sustainable seafood joint” and the food is great. http://www.goincoastalseafood.com/info.php