4.21.16 Thursday
Tuscaloosa to Decatur, Alabama
154 miles
We are off at 9:30a this morning, but not before we
hear a voice calling from the Car Wash about 200 yards away. We realize it is the young black man who came
down to talk with us the other night. He
makes his money offering to wash or wax or detail cars when they come in to use
the ‘Do It Yourself Wash’. One of the
pipeline workers had promised to give him a job, but then it rained and the worker
got called to a leak in a line over on the Georgia border. The man was very polite in asking Rick if we
needed our truck washed. Rick said we
were driving into the mud everyday so there wasn’t any point! Anyway, he saw us packing up and called out
to wish us well and safe travels! We
left with just the one RV now in the
lot, and no one apparently living there at the moment.
 |
| Crimson Clover |
 |
| Greens! |
We travel for about 25 miles behind
an RV that was weaving all over the road.
We wondered if the guy was drunk, falling asleep, or what! It was a little scary, but I imagine even
worse for the cars coming in the opposite direction when he was straddling the
center line until the last moment. We
lost him when we stopped for a potty stop and lunch in Cullman.
 |
| We finally found it! |
 |
| All settled in among the trees. |
I couldn’t get the campground
website to load, so had to rely on Google Maps to get us to the park. It took a very convoluted route, and we had
trouble finding the actual campground, but we made it! Tomorrow’s route over to Space & Rocket
Center will be much easier!
 |
| I couldn't find Baker City on it, 2000 plus miles away! |
 |
| Flowers near entrance |
Rick took a long walk along the
river and through the golf course, while I opted for a shorter route that also
clarified how to get connected with the internet. Once I figured it out, it was very high speed
and wonderful! I was able to catch up on
a number of things!
Thunderstorms are on the forecast
and we did have light showers this afternoon, but so far the temp is pleasant
and cool. Ready for a day of space
adventure tomorrow!
4.22.16 Friday
US Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville,
AL
See PICTURES
 |
| A gray day as we cross the Tennessee River |
Today’s adventure focused on the
Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville.
It was just a 30 minute drive across the Tennessee River and to the
center just southwest of Huntsville. A
former sleepy little cotton town, Huntsville became a munitions stockpile
during World War 2. Following the war a
team of German rocket scientist moved to America and brought their expertise to
US scientists. Huntsville then became a
mecca for racketeers and the development of the Saturn V system. It is now home to the Marshall Space Training
Center, Space Camp, Robotics Camps, and Aviation Camps!  |
| Statue at entrance |
What DID we do?? We went to two IMAX movies! The first was Journey to Space and gave a brief
overview of the Apollo missions, the Shuttle and International Space
Station. The heart of the movie was on
the new technology and emphasis to journey to Mars. Orion is the new program name and it was
fascinating to see the process they are taking in planning and training. Target dates?
Men on Mars by 2030’s. The second
IMAX was on the Hubble Space telescope, its repair missions, and the tremendous
images of the universe it is sending home.
The movie left you feeling very, very small. I was also overwhelmed with the magnitude of
a God who is in charge of it all. I so wanted to take pictures during the movie, but they weren't allowed.
 |
| Rick on Mons Olympus |
Rick tried his handing at rock
climbing early in the day which was a good call. Not busy at all at the time, but a crowded
place for the rest of the day! He looked
like Spiderman on the wall as he ascended in progressively more difficult
routes three times. The wall is called
the Olympus Mars, which is the largest volcano mountain on Mars and in the
entire solar system. The name was pretty
much the only connection to Space I could find!
 |
| Framed rockets |
 |
| Preparing to take off on the Space Shot |
 |
| Rick attempts docking maneuvers |
Lunch between movies at the Mars
Grill. I had a good salad bar and Rick a
fat burrito. Prices reasonable and no
tax! (Alabama has a 9% sales tax, even on food.)
A huge pavilion (Davidson Center for Space Exploration) houses a Saturn V rocket on its side, in sections, with a detailed step
by step of the Apollo program and the rockets involvement. It was pretty interesting. They had great memorabilia from all phases of
Apollo and the Shuttle programs, space rocks, etc. Rick tried his hand at docking the LEM with
the Command Module, but apparently unsuccessfully, so I guess they were lost in
space! By 3:30 we were getting brain
dead….time for the Gift Shop!!
 |
| Pathfinder Shuttle atop the booster rockets |
Back to the trailer by 5pm and
evening spent writing postcards.
YES! We finally bought nearly 20
and I didn’t care that they were 50¢ each!
 |
| Ginger prepares for re-entry |
4.23.16 Saturday A THREE STATE DAY!
Decatur, AL to Glasgow, KY
190 miles
 |
| First into Tennessee! |
 |
| And then Kentucky! |
 |
| Our pristine spot at Bailey's Point! |
Bailey’s Point Corps Campground is
literally on a long peninsula of land that juts out into the man-made reservoir
of Barren Lake. We checked in easily and
in locating our campsite realized we had scored big time! A site right above the water with an unobstructed
view of the lake. Water and electric
hookups, clean restrooms, hot showers – all for $11.50 a night! Gotta love the Senior Pass and Corp
Parks!!
 |
| Dogwood tree behind campsite |
 |
| And a sunset from our trailer |
4.24.16 Sunday
Mammoth Caves National Park
 |
| Sinkhole and New Entrance area |
a. Mammoth is the longest cave system in the
world with 405 miles currently mapped and more possible as they haven’t found
the end yet! It may not have the
LARGEST caverns or ‘rooms’, but the system is like a giant subway map or a
plate of spaghetti only 400’ deep.
b.
The upper regions
of the cave are not active except in certain places, as the water has now moved
much deeper to carve new chambers. The lowest
levels are explored in boats!
c.
The cave was
discovered in 1803 and opened for commercial tours in 1816. This year they are celebrating their 200th
anniversary!
d.
Early cave tour guides
were often black slaves, men who when ‘underground’ were in positions of
leadership with learned educators and politicians from around the world. What a challenge to remember ‘their place’
when they emerged from the cave at the end of the tour.
e.
We saw a map of
sinkholes in this area of Kentucky. Each
is a potential opening into the cave system.
There were hundreds of them!
 |
| Cheater picture from postcard of Niagra Falls formation |
Our
tour began at noon with a bus ride over to the ‘New Entrance’, discovered in
the early 1900’s. Two buses carried our group of approximately 75 people. At least it wasn’t the 112 tour maximum! Several young children keep things
interesting as their little voices asking wonderful questions kept echoing
through the passageways. We first
dropped 250 feet down through a series of 280 steps. The holes is very narrow in places. In others you can look down to what appears
to be a bottomless pit. We gathered in a
large chamber with a very flat limestone roof.
Early discoverers called this Grand Central Station
because 6
passageways lead off of it. It is a
horizontal chamber as opposed to the vertical shafts. At the end of the tour we entered a third
type of chamber….one that is more of the Carlsbad Cavern type – filled with
stalactites and stalagmites, columns, straws, draperies, and flows. Unfortunately I was having trouble with my
camera at this point so I didn’t get good pictures. Maybe I’ll steal a few from the postcards I
bought!
Back to the Visitor Center by
2pm. We checked out the gift store one
more time and then I drove us back to Bailey’s Point. The trailer is warm as it sits in the
sunshine! Rick takes a brief power nap
while I check out the nature trail.
Sunday calls, including a visit with Jed for his birthday.
The sunset tonight was stellar. More
color than last night. What great front
row seats we have!
 |
| Rick took a picture of our little trailer as he came down the hill. |
4.25.16 Monday
Bailey’s Point COE, Glasgow, KY to Jenny
Wiley State Park, Prestonburg, KY
247 Miles
 |
| One of the cuts |
We stopped in Manchester (just east
of London – yes, folks from the British Isles settled in the interior of
Kentucky to work the coal mines!) to
grab a bite to eat at a little Mexican restaurant. We both ordered Hawaiian Fajita Quesadillas –
the special of the day. Pineapple makes
everything good! Finished off the
leftovers just now for dinner!
 |
| Campsite at Jenny Wiley |
Rick and I both take walks, Rick’s a
little longer than mine and out on one of the trails along the lake. We finally were able to pick up some wine at
the CVS….they don’t sell it in the grocery stores in Kentucky.
It is muggy and humid out
today. A storm is supposedly brewing,
but we had big fluffy white clouds all the way across the state. Warm.
Glad to have the fan and AC in the trailer!
4.26.16 Tuesday
Meeting Austen in Paintsville!
Today we met Austen! While the forecast is for a storm later on,
the morning dawns warm and sunny! We don’t
get moving too fast and enjoy a little leisure time, heading into Paintsville
around 10:30. The road follows along the
base of some impressive limestone cliffs above one of the many little rivers
that flow through each hollow. Most of
these will flow either into the Jenny Wiley reservoir where we are camped or
north into Paintsville Lake.
 |
| Cool old Methodist Church in town |
The town was established in the
early 1800’s by a gentleman who settled land and built a house along the Paint
River. By 1825 or so, he had platted out
a townsite on his land. Coal is the big
business in these parts, and with the demise of coal the town has been hard
hit. Jobs are hard to come by. The town is spread out on a plain where the
hollers open out into Apple Valley.
There is a small Paintsville High School and then the large Johnson
County High School where Austen attends.
It is a newer sprawling campus on the plain, next to McDonalds and all
the box stores!
We drove around for awhile, checking
things out, and looking for a thrift store or used book store. Rick was out of books. But first order of business was
breakfast! We tried a Bob Evans and it
was very good!
Eventually we found the city library
where I could hook on to some free wifi and Rick found a couple shelves of
books available for 5 for $2 – all hardbacks!
We spent about an hour there as we waited for our 1:30 appointment at
the high school. I was trying to post
stuff, but pictures didn’t go well. I
did get a lead on a campground for the end of the week.
We recognized the tall young man
immediately from the pictures that have been on our refrigerator for the past
many years! He is easily 3 inches taller
than Rick, filled out but not heavy, wears glasses, and has a short beard to go
with his short cropped hair. He was
obviously a bit nervous, as were we!
Karen invited us into her office where we could visit more privately and
eventually came in and joined us.
The visit was delightful. Austen began to talk freely about his home
situation, his goals and dreams, plans after high school. Here Karen was a great help as she could fill
in the details, such as scholarship possibilities, needing to fill out the
FAFSA, the local voch-tech college within walking distance for Austen. We pushed hard for him to finish strong and get
his diploma. He has hoped to go for
Diesel Mechanics, but with the decline of coal and the need for such mechanics,
we encourage him to consider other options as well, such as plumbing or
electrical work. He has a good head on
his shoulders and is trying to make good choices. I was thrilled to hear he was going to church
with his girlfriend when possible. He is
currently living with his girlfriend’s grandmother and at 18 is now ‘on his own’. Karen
openly spoke of the need to let God be in charge….the difference between
Bible-belt schools and out west apparently!
The visit only lasted an hour….Austen
had to get back to class. We took some
pictures, I gave him our gifts and explained a few items, we hugged and
left. Karen spoke with us a few moments
more and then walked with us out the building.
She does an amazing job, working with some 30 plus youth all sponsored
through Children, Inc. throughout the area, often from Kindergarten on up. With the school she helps identify those who
can use the assistance. But her office
was also busy fitting kids with suits for the prom coming up this weekend. They had a whole filing cabinet filled with
clothes of varying sizes. Karen said our
contributions are usually ‘held’ for school shopping at the beginning of the
school year and Christmas. All in all, a
good experience and I hope it helps Austen to focus on what he needs to do in
the coming weeks and months. We have
committed to turning our sponsorship over to his brother Andrew when Austen
graduates the end of May.
We stopped at McDonalds for a little
more wifi time and a drink, but after 45 minutes it was becoming a zoo with all
the school kids! I called Mom briefly
and we were finally able to make a phone connection with the campground in
Bryson City, NC to confirm a reservation for Thursday through Saturday
nights. Back to the campground!!
Rick took a power nap while I walked
C Loop, which is ¾ of a mile to go up and back, and then along the Jenny Wiley
and Sassafrass Trails for abit. I
started looking for Austen’s name in trail letters, eventually spelling it
out. Coming back I visited with the park
host about adding another night on to our stay.
He told me it would be free since I hadn’t received my ‘free night of
April camping’ yet online! What a
deal! We talked for awhile and I learned
of some of his park host adventures.
Today he had to call for a tow truck to pull a man’s truck out of the
lake – an mistake launching his boat on a slippery ramp and the boat pulled the
whole truck into the lake, with the cab 3 ½ feet under water. Poor guy.
Just trying to catch some crappie for dinner. That dinner will cost a truck price. The store is being rebuilt because last year
some guy got mad and drove it off the foundation. Another man died at his site! The host was surprised they asked him back! More people have come in to A loop, but still
us and the tenter up the road on B.
Pretty quiet and private.
Dinner of BLTs out on the picnic
table with the tablecloth even. High
class. Since the laundry room is
closest to us, we decided to wash a load while we ate. By the time the laundry was done, the bugs
were coming out, so into the trailer for the rest of the evening. A good day.
4.27.16 Wednesday
Rain Day!
Ah, the long awaited storm finally
arrived last night around 10! We had
heard the wind begin to pick up a little earlier and a sudden cooling to the
humid warm air. Gradually distant
rolls of thunder began to echo and then the rain arrived. Being down in the hollers in hill country
means that thunder really does ROLL – sometimes the sound can last for 10
seconds as it bounces from canyon to canyon and against the limestone
cliffs. Rick battened up the ‘hatches’ and we snuggled in for the night! Lulls, followed by more lightning, until the
early morning hours. Around 5 Rick went
out and plugged the trailer back in. He
slept better knowing there was no danger during the night!
Now I sit listening to the birds
(there are cardinals all over!) and an occasional pitter patter of drops on the
roof. We have signed on for another
night as the storm is supposed to continue off and on. A day of perfect leisure lies ahead!
Around 11:30 we finally decided we
ought to at least go into town, grab a little internet so I could send a couple
emails, and eat lunch! We stopped first
at the library with secure internet where I sent in Austen’s graduation money
to CI online, caught all blogs up to date, wrote a couple other emails and
checked gas prices. Just realized the
one thing I forgot was to get accurate directions to the campground for
tomorrow!
Lunch again at Bob Evans, where I
wanted to try their all-you-can-eat soup, salad, and bread lunch entrée. Well, it was good, but service was not. Slow to deliver, I had to ask for my biscuits
when they weren’t delivered and I was half done with my meal, no chicken could
be found in the chicken noodle soup, and my biscuits came without butter. BUT….it did taste good and I didn’t need
butter anyway. Even though it was all
you can eat, I was never asked if I wanted any more, etc. Ah well.
We stopped to pick up a couple items at Dollar Tree and then back to the
campground.
Rick took a longer hike up on the
Jenny Wiley Trail, while I trekked a couple miles on the Sassafrass Trail. Light rain a couple times but nothing
major. Just HUMID to be hiking in the
thick woods!
No comments:
Post a Comment