Weston, West Virginia - May 19, 2016

We arrived and parked in Lewis County Park after another trip through the mountains. The front of the Bounder faced the park's tennis courts. The soccer fields are busy in the early evening. The swimming pool opened before Memorial Day and the picnic shelters got a workout. It is a great park for the county, however the rv parking is definitely an afterthought. 

The space next to us on the driver's side has a sign on a light post the reads "Camper Hookups" There are electrical, water and sewer hookups below the sign, but in the center of the space is a tree staked in place. There isn't any way a "camper" could utilize this space. 

Due to the tennis court fence and a light pole in front of us, no other rv could get into any of the spaces outside our patio. The best part of getting into the park was the drive which slanted straight downhill. (There is a gated back way out of the park on a horridly rutted path, which we took really slowly, when we left. Thank you Tracy for providing the key to open the gate.)

We spent sometime in Clarksburg, WV just north of Weston. Clarksburg is the birthplace of Stonewall Jackson.

The next adventure was a visit to The West Virginia Museum of American Glass in Weston WV. 

Max Meadows & Wytheville, Virginia - May 12, 2016

After the trip through the mountains, we settled in a valley at Pioneer Village Campground close to Max Meadows, VA.

Views of Pioneer Village Campground showing the hills in the background that we enjoyed from both inside and out of the Bounder.

Took a day trip up in the Southwest Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains along the Big Walker Mountain National Forest Scenic Byway. This 16-mile byway showcases beautiful mountain scenery. Along the way, we stopped at Big Walker Lookout & BW Country Store and did not climb the 100-foot tower. This byway travels through the Jefferson National Forest. We continued down the mountain toward Wytheville and followed the path of Toland’s Raid as part of the Virginia’s Civil War Trails.

Unfortunately, we spent a considerable amount of time during this stay, at Bob Huff Chevrolet in Wytheville to have a new brake booster installed on the car. Some of the expense was covered under warranty. The dealer had a car take us back to Pioneer Village and picked us up when our car was ready. One of the days, when we were there, they invited us to a buffet lunch they were having at the dealership for their employees. Nice people....

After a one week stay, we headed through the mountains toward Weston, WV. Continuing north along I-77 and encountered the second tunnel. The "Big Walker Mountain Tunnel" a  4,229 foot tunnel under the Virginia/West Virginia State Line. Once again, I was driving. We took a shortcut on US Highway 19 from I-77 to I-79 and continued northeast to Lewis County Park in Weston WV. 

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

Week Six to Week Eight Helen, Georgia for Octoberfest

I spent a few weeks at an RV park in Cumming, GA, just about 14 miles from my daughter. With she and Mike we made a day trip to Helen, GA which is a unique town, it looks just like an Alpine village.

After the Cherokees left the area on the “Trail of Tears” the area was populated by white settlers. In 1828 gold was discovered nearby and the Great Georgia Gold Rush was begun. Thousands of miners came to the area and mined gold for over a century. Settlers left since mining operations quit at the end of the century. The next major industry was all about timber. A great sawmill was built and a railroad came up the Chattahoochee River to Helen. The sawmill operated until 1931 and again people left for other places.

According to  http://www.helengeorgia.com:
By the 1960's, there was nothing left except a dreary row of concrete block structures. In 1968, local businessmen met to discuss what could be done to improve their town. They approached a nearby artist friend, who had been stationed in Germany. He sketched the buildings, added gingerbread trim, details and colors to the buildings, giving an Alpine look to the entire town. In January 1969, business owners and local carpenters began turning ideas into reality. Now all downtown stores have been renovated and many buildings and cobblestone alleyways added. Faces of buildings were painted with scenes of Bavaria and North Georgia, mirroring the migration of early settlers. 
There are now over 200 shops and you may tube down the Chattahoochee River, visit an amusement park, pan for gold and gems, take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage, or enjoy international dining. You may fish, swim, canoe, raft, play tennis, hike, ride motorcycles or golf.

Here is just a little bit of Helen:

Can you pronounce this:

It started raining just as we were leaving Helen. Here is part of the rainbow that stretched across the sky:

Nice experience, wonderful day with the kids!

Week Five–Talladega Superspeedway, Riding Around the Track

William "Bill" France, Sr. broke ground on the former Anniston Air Force Base in 1968. He wanted to build a track faster and longer than Daytona International Speedway. Originally named Alabama International Motor Speedway. The name was changed in 1989  to Talladega Superspeedway. The track opened on September 13, 1969. The cost was $4 million. The track is a tri-oval and is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long tri-oval.

  

The seating capacity is 80,000.^[1] The seats are purposely red with white interspersed. It always looks like they are occupied.

Out of the bus and to take photos on the stage of Victory Lane.

I missed taking a photo of Turn 2

Most of the photos were taken through the minibus windows. It was a “Fun Ride”
.^[1]  ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talladega_Superspeedway