Ducktown

Saturday October 20, 2012

We all slept late this morning. By 9:00 we were up and showered and pretty much ready to start the day. Last night Betty woke up and wondered why the back of the rolling cave was so well lit. It turned out that Barney had gone to bed and had not put out the torch at the cave door. Thankfully we were plugged in and it didn’t run down the battery. Lucky for Barney!

This morning Wilma was coming out of her cave, missed the bottom step and took a pretty good spill. Her shoulder was pretty tender the rest of the day and probably will be for the next few days; no visible external damage though. Did I mention that it wasn’t a really good day?

We had breakfast of omelet, hash browns, cantaloupe and cinnamon rolls. Things were looking up.

After the dishes were done everyone piled into the Rubble-mobile and we headed out to look for a mountain and a cemetery, with the Rubble family name near Ducktown, TN. We drove east on route 64 along the Ocoee River. The Ocoee is a popular whitewater river in the area and was very busy with rafters and kayakers. They put in at a ramp just below a diversion dam with water flow flowing over the top and also flowing through a wooden aqueduct that runs several miles along side, and above the river course and runs a hydro power plant at its terminus. Several miles further up the road is a white water course that was built for the 1996 Olympics, which were held in Atlanta, GA. There was barely enough water in the course to float a kayak, let alone race one. Evidently a controlled amount of water can be turned into the course to make it a very challenging run. The natural rocks in the course were enhanced by gunnite concrete to make the course.

We went on into Ducktown looking for Barney’s roots. Barney was on what he thought was route 68. It turned out to be a more and more narrow street that crossed a bridge that Betty was not about to cross in the cave. Barney started backing down the street when a fellow came out from his house to offer us directions. His name was Gilligan and he was very nice and helpful in giving us directions, and nicknamed Betty, Princess. We picked that up fairly quickly, and have had some fun with it. We backed down the street and turned around at the Sherriff’s Office then got back to route 68.

With Gilligan’s instructions we found the road we were looking for but we were not sure of the correct turn-off from that road to Rubble Mountain. We drove on down the road to try to find Rubble Cemetery and ended up in North Carolina.  We stopped to ask a couple of people around a fire truck, and they didn’t provide much new information. They were in front of an abandoned house that they were about to burn down. 

Having worked for Barney for more than 20 years, Wilma knows firsthand how often Barney’s family name is misspelled and mispronounced, so it was not a big surprise to find an incorrect street sign. And on the map, the mountain is clearly marked with the correct spelling.

We drove around the area for several hours and were not able to pinpoint either the mountain or the cemetery so we headed back to the campground where we are once again settled in for the night.

Coming back by where the rafters put in, there was a lot less flow over the dam, and made the river look pretty tame. They just beef it up for the rafters, and get pretty good business.

Hopefully we will have a startling climax to this thrill-packed episode in a couple of days. Good night.

The Chickamauga Battlefield

Friday October 19, 2012

We were up kind of early for us this morning and took a few photos of Teresa, Paul and Lilly then headed down from Signal Mountain into the road construction on route 27 in Chattanooga, TN.

We continued down route 27, after a fashion through Fort Oglethorpe, GA to the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park just a few miles into Georgia. This is part of the same military park that Lookout Mountain TN is in. They are in close proximity and were considered as part of the Civil War Battle for Chattanooga, which was a strategic area for ground, water and rail transportation. At the VC we got 3 stamps, watched the video and spent some time in the museum. The VC houses a collection of guns from pre- Civil War to late 19^th century. There are literally hundreds of long guns; flint-locks, percussion cap, and repeating both smooth bore and rifled.

Along our journey we encounter various underpasses! This one was okay, but the sign said 10’4”. That was the outside edge measurement, so as long as we stay towards the middle we are okay. 

We made a stop at a local, friendly COSTCO near Ringgold, GA to stock up on junk food for the rolling caves and to partake of a bronto-dog. Fred spied a couple of unusual mobiles in the parking lot and we went over to take a look. It turned out that two guys who had met on line and arranged to trade cars on line had just completed the swap exchanging cars on each other’s trailers. One was a 1966 Chevelle hardtop and the other was a 1933 Ford four door sedan. Both were in beautiful condition. Fred took a number of photos while Barney drooled unashamedly.

We headed north on I-75 for a few miles and turned east on route 64 and 74 through Ocoee (pronounced Okoee) and turned north on route 30 to a Cherokee National Forest CG called Parksville RV CG. We enjoyed a dinner of barbecued pterodactyl (from Costco), potatoes baked in the fire and a big salad. For dessert there were a few marshmallows.

Tomorrow is pretty much a down day. The plan is to sleep late and generally enjoy Sabbath. We may do a little local touring. More on the stone pad later. Good night.

More Zig and Zag across Tennessee

Thursday October 18, 2012
We spent last night on the Natchez Trace Parkway at the Meriwether Lewis Memorial CG. The weather was beautiful and we ate dinner at a picnic table in our shirtsleeves. It was nice and warm, the sunset was really pretty and it was after dark when we finished eating. The park ranger came around to tell people who were in tents that some weather was headed in our direction. About 11:30 the thunder and lightning started and went on for well over an hour. The light show was beautiful. Barney and Betty, and this morning Fred and Wilma all agreed that we were glad we were not in a tent. One of the tent campers had rigged a clothes line and had at least 4 quilts hanging out this morning. We can only assume they were wet. The campground fit in our budget since it was free, and that helps keep our nightly average down. The campground is nice, but Fred wasn’t too sure about the man curled up in his sleeping bag on the floor of the men’s room!
We left the CG and headed north on The Trace, then east on route 144 to Columbia, TN. Lo and behold there was a Waffle House in Columbia that just happened to be serving breakfast, so we stopped and enjoyed waffles. After we were sure we wouldn’t starve we headed north and east to Murfreesboro, TN for a stop at Stone’s Creek Battlefield where we got a stamp that was not available last year. From Stone’s Creek we drove into downtown Murfreesboro to the information center for another stamp. Fred and Wilma’s friend, Garman, led the way. Fortunately for all of us he rarely gets lost. 

Narrow and short, but we got through

Somewhere along the way we came to a very low looking underpass that was not marked. Wilma hopped out and had Fred creep into it to make sure we were going to clear. Made it, but there were a number of dings in the concrete indicating others hadn’t.  Later we came to another one that had some numbers painted on the side that we thought might be the height, and we cleared that one too, but they give you an anxious moment now and then.
From Murfreesboro we went south on I- 24. We pulled off in Manchester, TN to make a phone call to see if we could get on a tour of the Arnold Engineering and Development Center near Tullahoma, TN.
You are supposed to make reservations for a tour at least 2 weeks in advance, but we thought we would try anyway. They give free tours to 15 to 30 person groups and they require the advanced notice to make sure you are OK, since it is a secure facility. Obviously we didn’t get a tour, but it is going on our TTD (things to do) list.

Entrance to the grounds at the park

 Steep!

 At the top of Lookout Mountain - You can see 7 states

The incline at work!

 

Back on I-24 we continued on to Chattanooga, TN and went up Lookout Mountain to collect several stamps. The drive up Lookout Mountain in a rolling cave is definitely not a trip for the faint-hearted. There are several places where you go around corners that are so sharp you can see your own taillights.  We did get to the Chattanooga and Chickamauga National Military Park VC on Lookout Mountain where we got 7 stamps and learned about the “Battle Above the Clouds”. Considering the drive up the mountain with the rolling cave, it is difficult to imagine how artillery was moved into place on top of it. We stopped at the incline railway station on the top to make use of their “penny smasher”. With the narrow twisting roads up the mountain, and the tight metered parking once you get to the top, the incline railway would be a great way to do the mountain. Oh well, now we’ve done it the hard way!
Once off of that mountain we headed for Signal Mountain and are spending the night at Teresa’s house, in her driveway. Teresa fed us spaghetti and meat balls with brownies for dessert. We are also doing laundry and using her shower and electricity for the rolling caves. We are pretty much settled in for the night.
The hammer and chisel are put away for the night. More tomorrow.

Big Hill Pond and Shiloh

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

We all got up before breakfast and hit the showers at Big Hill Pond CG, TN. The water came out of the shower head with such force it was about like standing under Multnomah Falls, where the water drops a couple of hundred feet. The flying mist got everything in the shower stall wet. You had to put your clothes on a board that was above the shower partition to keep them dry. Washing your hair and rinsing your face was something like the old Indian water torture. All that being said by “Barney the Wimp”, there was lots of hot water and you came away clean and refreshed. And, ready for a breakfast of pterodactyl eggs, biscuits and gravy. After breakfast we loaded up and headed for the VC for a couple of stamps for our passport books.

There was a small dog in the campground that was very friendly. Never made a sound but came running right up to you acting like he needed to be petted. Also wouldn’t have minded a bite or two of breakfast. We wondered if he had been left behind, but found out it belongs to the ranger.

We drove down to Travis McNatt Lake, which is on Big Hill Pond park property and looks to be about 100 acres in size. No motors are allowed on the lake and you can keep 20 fish per day 10 of which can be bass with no length limit and us with no canoe or license.

We headed east on route 57 then turned on route 22 to Shiloh National Military Park to check on stamps that we didn’t get last year. There were three specific stamps that we knew we didn’t have, and only one of them was available. The man on duty in the bookstore said he didn’t have any others and that he would have them out if he had any more. Then he remembered one that was in a drawer in the office. So we got those stamps and were early enough to watch the video of the Battle of Shiloh and spend a little time in the museum. It is very sobering to realize that after this 2 day battle, during the Civil War, there were over 23,000 dead, wounded or missing. More men died during those 2 days than had died during all US conflicts to date.

After the visit to the VC, Betty went back to the bookstore to ask about a picnic area. She was soon back fetching Fred to go back to the bookstore about the missing stamp. Someone else was on duty, so it was worth a try. He came out a little later with two stamps different than we had before. Luckily the first man didn’t show up while Fred was getting help from the woman now on duty. We still think we are missing one, but what more can you do?

We left the park proper and stopped at a picnic area for a bite of lunch before continuing north on route 22 then east on 64. We found a Wal-Mart in Savannah, TN where we stopped for some groceries and fuel. We continued east on route 64 to the Natchez Trace. We went north on the Trace about 15 miles and pulled into the Meriwether Lewis Monument and Grave Site. Near the monument is a campground where we located a couple of sites and are bedded down for the night in the cave mobiles. We have a couple of very “interesting” neighbors in the campground that would love to talk for hours, but we headed inside for a while. It was almost dark before we had a light supper out at the picnic table. It has been a good day.

More on the old stone slab tomorrow. Good night all.

Land Between the Lakes

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

We were up and showered about 8 am. Wilma and Betty fixed a breakfast of scrambled eggs, hash browns and bagels that we enjoyed at the large picnic table overlooking the lake. We made a quick stop at the dump station and then departed the Canal Campground in the Land Between the Lakes and headed south on “The Trace.” The north/south road in the Land Between the Lakes is called “The Trace.” About half way down, we turned east on route 68 and 80 to Hopkinsville, KY.

The stop at Hopkinsville is a “Trail of Tears” memorial to the Indian tribes that were relocated to the “Indian Territories” in Oklahoma. About 13,000 Native Americans were moved to Oklahoma by the army in the 1830s. Thousands died on the trail due to various forms of malnutrition, disease and cold weather. It is a pretty sad commentary on our country’s treatment of the Indians during that period of our history. The museum at the park was closed but we got 2 stamps at the Information Center a mile or so away. 

We went south on route 41A to Fort Campbell, KY where we stopped at a local Taco Bell for a quick lunch. We skirted the Fort Campbell Army Base and turned west on route 79 then zigged and zagged till we got to the intersection of route 22 and I40 where we made a stop at Parkers Crossroads. This was the site of a Civil War battle where CSA General Forrest and Union General Dunham engaged in a one day battle. We received two stamps at the VC and a somewhat lengthy commentary on the good things that the Civil War Trust is doing to preserve Civil War historical places.  The lady we talked (“listened”) to there is really passionate about her job and the history of the area!

We continued south on route 22 then did a little more zigging and zagging and ended up on route 57 between Ramer and Pocohontas at a place called Big Hill Pond State Park where there is supposed to be another stamp. The VC was closed when we got here. We have settled into the park campground and will check out the stamp situation tomorrow.  We are very close to the Mississippi border, so covered the north to south distance of Tennessee with all of our zigging and zagging today. There are many trees in various ranges of fall colors, and we are enjoying the state.

Good night from the Bedrock Bunch.

Check back later to see if I’ve been able to add pictures to yesterday’s blog.

Off for another exciting adventure

Monday, October 15, 2012

Jacob's "new to him" toy

Barney plowing the front 40

We departed Houston, MO around 8 am on Monday the 14th, according to Barney’s watch.  He would later find out that his sundial was one day off because he hadn’t reset it from the short month of September.  Time is very important to we who are retired!

The colorful leaves were sparkling in bright sunlight as we pulled out. A very sad Magoo half heartedly ran beside us just a few feet. She knew something was up and she wasn't going to like it. Barney and Betty were in the lead, which is very rare, so it was them that very nearly hit the second of three deer crossing the road. They thought the third might leap out in front of Fred and Wilma, but luckily stayed out of the way.

Relaxing at our beautiful campsite

After a stop in Cabool to take on fuel and get a SuperSonic breaskfast, we headed east, enjoying the beginning of the fall colors.

We drove past Poplar Bluff then turned and went back through town to the Forest Service office to get a couple of stamps that Betty had just discovered.   The ranger had 2 new helpers. One had been working 2 days, the other 3 days.  They had not been asked for stamps and learned where the stamps and pad were hidden, and they were hidden pretty well.  It was a good stop.

We drove on into Kentucky, on route 60 after going through a couple hundred yards of Illinois.   Cairo, IL is really a small area at the extreme south end of the state, between Missouri and Kentucky.  We went south on route 51 to Columbus, KY and on to Columbus-Belmont State Park.  This was the site of a Civil War Battle where Union General Grant engaged Confederate General Polk.  The site was considered important for the control of the Mississippi River.  We did get a stamp at the park for the Trail of Tears.

Barge traffic on the Ohio

There had been a big weekend Civil War re-enactment at the park, and the lady in the administration building was evidently having a very busy day. She drove up to the museum to get the stamp for us, and then proceeded to set the date on the stamp  for Aug 51, 2012. Betty noticed the incorrect date after both books were stamped, but Fred reset it and got a correct one, he thought. It still said Aug. Finally getting that all straight, Fred got a good stamp with the correct date. You gotta watch out for all of us!

One of many cotton fields viewed today

We headed east on route 80 then north on the J M Carroll Purchase Parkway to I-24 and then to the Land Between the Lakes where we were able to get into the Canal Campground.  We actually got the same sites we were in last year.  Lake Barkley is visible from our campsites and the hickory trees are just brilliant with yellow and gold leaves.

More on the stone slab tomorrow. 

Heading for the Wedding

Thursday, October 4, 2012
We finally pulled away from home at noon but only went as far as Les Schwab to get a final check of the tires. Then we were off. About an hour down the road we stopped to fix some sandwiches for lunch. Further stops at McDermott, Winnemucca, the lovely rest stop at the turn to Fallon, and Taco Bell in Fallon were necessary to relieve some of the cramping of muscles from having three of us in the cab.  It was about dark when we left Taco Bell, but we headed on to Walker Lake. We had planned to stop at the state recreation area along the lake shore, but could see no lights to indicate an open camping area, so continued on to the casino parking lot in Hawthorne. It was late and we quickly readied to crash.
Friday, October 5 - While enjoying breakfast in Bishop Friday morning, we enjoyed watching the cars gather for the “Fall Colors Car Show” happening that weekend. It was going to be huge – we saw lots of cars on the street, and others being trailered in. The rest of the way down 395 we continued to see the classics heading for the show. With a few stops along with way, we arrived in town and settled into the RV park, then cleaned up and took off for the rehearsal dinner. We had already missed the rehearsal.  After the dinner we stopped by the newly rebuilt house to see what they had done after the fire. Very nice for them.
Saturday, October 6 – The big day!  We were present on demand at 3 pm for pictures before the 4:30 ceremony, but the ones we needed to be there for didn’t happen until afterward, so we got a lot of practice standing around. The ceremony was very nice. Rather than a minister to officiate, the couple had asked a friend who then went through the effort and training to be commissioned. He did a great job. When it came time for the vows, the bride shouted a huge I DO while raising her bouquet as high as possible. After the group pictures and more standing around we gathered to watch the “first dances” before being sent into the reception area for dinner and other reception activities.  Pebbles and her dear friend Julie did a fantastic job of decorating the lobby, the room for the ceremony, the reception tables, and even the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner was held. The bride let Pebbles know that her dream wedding was possible because of all their hard work.
Sunday, October 7 – Two others had 6 am flights also, so Chandani got a ride with them, and we didn’t have to do the 4 am run. Many thanks to the driver! We owe you!  We left the RV park at the noon checkout time and helped Pebbles shuffle vehicles before heading back to Barstow. We fueled up and had some lunch, then made a quick stop back at the Harvey House to pick up a couple of park stamps at the Route 66 museum. So it was about 2 pm when we connected with I40 and noticed the sign “Wilmington, NC 2,554 miles.” No, we aren’t going to see the end of it, at least on this trip. But we will see plenty of it.
Many hours and miles later we thought we would stop for the night at a rest area just west of Flagstaff. You guessed it, it was closed, so we stopped in Flagstaff long enough to fix a quickie supper and continued on toward Winslow.The next rest area had a nice level area to park overnight, so we took advantage.
Monday, October 8 - The only distraction from the miles of road today was a stop in Holbrook, Arizona at the old courthouse to pick up a couple of park stamps. We have been close before, but unable to get there when it was open, so we took advantage. The host at the visitor center even stamped our pages with a little Route 66 stamp. One stamp we thought would be there was not available. He said it had been stolen a few months ago.  We found a good place to park overnight at a rest area. Not one of the nicest rest areas, but it served its purpose.
Tuesday, October 9 -  From the rest stop near Tucumcari New Mexico, through the panhandle of Texas, on to a rest stop near Shawnee, Oklahoma. No fun stops, just travel. But this rest area was very nice, and we got a good night of sleep.
Wednesday, October 10 – We didn’t have a long drive today with a destination of a COE campground on the Arkansas River at Ozark, Arkansas. We stopped at Waffle House for a great breakfast, then hit the local Walmart and finally found the campground so we could shower and just kick back a while today. Tomorrow we have a couple hour drive to Harrison to visit friends, then we will continue on to our destination.
Fred has gotten a few laughs at the expense of the neighbors fire (smoke) building skills.
From only half of the Bedrock bunch, goodnight.