More Fun at Frederick

In a word, "rain" describes Saturday at the Maryland Samboree. Overnight sprinkles turned to showers in early morning and showers morphed into torrents during midday. By late afternoon, sprinkles returned and just before dark a major rainbow appeared across the sky.

Rainy days test a camper’s resolve. It is easy to retire to the warmth and comfort of the motor home, but we ventured out to have a meeting of our Old Dominion Cardinals contingent. Jim secured a dry space inside a building and we were able to discuss several issues. Discussions were interrupted frequently due to heavy rain pelting down on a tin roof. It was impossible to hear the person next to you speak. We had most everyone there and Jim led a good meeting.

Most of our group had signed up for the Samboree Saturday evening dinner; a mistake. Tables were arranged in five long rows extending the length of the banquet hall. Tables were so close to one another that it was very difficult to walk between tables. The menu was roasted chicken, corn on the cob, shish-ka-bob, soup, and raspberry turnover. Dinner was served buffet style after wait-staff tried to serve beverages and a soup course. The plan changed after it took “forever” to serve beverages – cups were eventually passed from the table ends until everyone had one. Oh, in keeping with the medieval theme, no utensils were available; it was a “fingers only” meal. The shish-ka-bob was over cooked and shouldn’t have been served. The chicken was okay although some complained it was dry. The best part was the raspberry turnover.

Dinner was followed by a “brown bag” auction to raise money for the Dogs for the Deaf charity. Bids are made on brown paper bags without knowing what is in the bag. There are surprises – good and bad. The auction resulted in a $500 donation to the charity, and it was fun for participants and observers.

Entertainment for the evening was a band called “Mutual Fun”. They played a mix of dance and listening music, and they were very entertaining.Between sets, door prizes, raffle-winners, and Good Sam awards were presented.

We returned to our coach before the entertainment ended. We are happy to be snug in the warmth and comfort of our motor home.

Fun At Frederick

Here we are in Frederick, MD for the Maryland Good Sam State Samboree. Festivities begin officially tomorrow, but we are “early birds”, and we glad we chose to come early. We signed up to be in the “generator area”, since this is usually a dry camping weekend. When we arrived we were offered 20-amp electrical service; we gladly accepted. Generators run on diesel fuel.

The “Halstead caravan” assembled at the Quarles truck stop on US 15/US 29 at 10:30 AM. Five rigs departed soon after, and we had a leisurely drive through the Virginia and Maryland countryside. Getting into the Fairgrounds was relatively easy and the staff greeted us warmly. We have good sites and the electrical service is adequate to keep the batteries charged, but not a lot more. Last night was cold, and we expect the next few nights to also be cold. Rain is forecast for Saturday. Oh, happy day!

Our five rigs will be joined tomorrow by several more, maybe six, from our Good Sam chapter. We have already met Don and Kathy Wise who are West Virginia State Directors. They were our hosts in May at the WV Samboree.

We all had dinner tonight at the local Moose Lodge. We discovered we have two Moose in our group: Jim and Bill. I think they would have let us in without a membership, since they seemed to be expecting the campers from the Samboree. We had a very nice dinner for an incredibly low price. Such a deal makes one think about joining the Moose Lodge. Jim says they have campgrounds around the country. The Elks Lodge has a similar reputation among RVers:good food and RV hook ups.

The theme for the weekend is "A Renaissance Faire". Several staff members are in costumes, and tomorrow we expect to see others dressed in period fare. Jousting and other period activities are planned.Vendors are setting up tonight for business tomorrow. There are seminars scheduled and activities planned. This should be a great weekend, rain and all.

New River Gorge National River II

Tuesday, October 14, would be our last touring day, and we made the most of it. We were again blessed with gorgeous weather. We had two destinations in mind: Thurmond Historic District and Grandview. These locations were some distance apart so we knew we would be on the road most of the day.

Narrow Route 25 follows Dunloop Creek for seven miles to the restored Thurmond Depot. When we arrived, a train with cars full of coal was waiting at a siding. Obviously, there are active coal mines throughout the region. The Depot is operated by CSX Transportation, but was once part of the Chesapeake & Ohio railway system hauling coal and passengers from Virginia to Chicago. Freight and coal are still the main train cargoes, and Amtrack has three passenger trains per week on CSX tracks. The Depot is much like it was in the early 1900s and reminiscent of depots we had in New England during that era. While we were there, a long CSX freight train climbed the mountain to Thurmond and continued west toward Ohio. We enjoyed the stop.

Our last destination was Grandview. The tourist brochure describes it this way: "The overlooks at Grandview, the highest in the park, offer broad views of the land cut by the New River and its many tributaries. Rhododendrons frame the view in mid-May and fall color adds to the panorama in October." This is accurate. As a bonus, we stopped at an apple orchard and purchased apples right from the trees.

The neat thing about Grandview is it is only five miles from I-64 at Exit 129. So many people pass it by not knowing the grandeur of the New River Gorge. We feel fortunate that we had two days to explore this natural beauty.

Wednesday morning we hooked up the tow vehicles and headed east along I-64 for Virginia. We made the Afton Mountain rest stop around midday and had a picnic lunch together. Chuck and Donna left the caravan at US 29 from I-64; we and the Halsteads continued on toward Gordonsville on US 15-N. The Halsteads turned off for Louisa, and we headed home to Fawn Lake, arriving mid afternoon.

We packed a lot of activity into these eleven days. Meeting new people is such a treat, and Discovery International is a great group of people. We didn't know what to expect at Cumberland Gap and Renfro Valley. We thoroughly enjoyed every day of both experiences. We now have a much better appreciation of Kentucky and West Virginia history and contemporary times having learned a great deal on this trip. We are indebted to our friends the Tolsons and the Halsteads for all they did to plan and facilitate this trip.

We will be home a week. We leave for Frederick, MD and the Maryland Good Sam Samboree October 23. More about that later.

New River Gorge National River

We think National Parks are treasures. This park protects 53 miles of the New River and encompasses over 72,000 acres. The landscape has been carved over time by the river and the streams and creeks that flow into it. The gorge reaches a depth of 1400 feet and at its bottom the river and the railroad have provided transportation and access through this mountainous region.

We began our excursion at the Sandstone Visitor Center Monday morning; perfect fall weather continued. Mem and Donna tucked into the very back seat of the Ford Explorer so that we could have the middle seat; Chuck navigated and Larry did the driving. The Visitor Center has a large inlaid floor map of the New River watershed. This feature combined with the informational displays throughout the center made the visit informative. We picked up maps and brochures and saw a short movie about the watershed and the significance of the New River Gorge.

Monday was our day to see everything. We quickly realized one day was not enough. The New River Gorge Scenic Drive is 83 miles long and takes about three hours. A shorter trip is along the Fayette Station Road which takes about the same time and focuses on the area over and under the New River Gorge Bridge. Grandview Overlook is a destination itself. We wanted to do everything. We agreed to stay another day and go home on Wednesday. It was a good decision.

We should preface this tale by saying that there is precious little flat land in the Beckley, WV area. If a road seems flat, look to the sides, and you will see a valley or gully has been filled to form the road. As you travel upward you will soon travel downward, and you will likely be turning sharply as you go up or down. Roads are narrow, some more than others, and mostly paved. Bridges are often one-lane.

An overlook of Sandstone Falls, on Route 20, was our first stop. This is the largest waterfall on the New River and en route to our first destination: the Historic District of Hinton, WV which includes buildings from the late 1800s when Hinton was a railroad center with a roundhouse and extensive rail yards. We enjoyed touring the Railroad Museum. One of the ladies that greeted us was at least a third generation railroader. When steam engines moved C&O trains east and west, Hinton was a boom town; it became an artifact when diesel engines replaced steam engines. The museum had many interesting exhibits which we pored through for most of the morning.

A ranger at the Visitor Center had recommended two places for a lunch stop. Both are on the west side of the New River. We found a bridge and crossed over. One restaurant was closed, but we found Sugar Mills open. We ate lunch on the deck overlooking the river. It was a beautiful setting on a perfect weather day.

Our main objective Monday was to visit the New River Gorge Bridge. From our lunch location, we retraced our route back to the Visitor Center then took a series of local roads northward. Babcock State Park, one of the oldest parks in West Virginia, was on our way. We stopped at the visitor center and enjoyed seeing the much photographed Grist Mill.

Further north we came to US Highways 60 & 19. These were "good roads" compared to those we had been on for sometime. US 19 crosses the Gorge Bridge and we sped across looking at the magnificent views up and down the gorge. We retraced our route back over the bridge to the Canyon Rim Visitor Center where we gained a new appreciation for the gorge and the history that surrounds it. The center also had observation decks where we could view the bridge just below its road level.

As nice as this was, we wanted to see the view beneath the bridge. Chuck found route 82, also known as Fayette Station Road. This road is hard to describe. It twists and turns up and down hills, yet the memorable feature is that it is only paved in the middle; the road is gravel on its sides. When an oncoming vehicle approaches, both vehicles go to the gravel with only left side tires on pavement.

The views beneath the bridge were extraordinary. Looking upward nearly 900 feet at the steel and concrete construction is an awesome experience. Since we were at water level, our next stop was the Tunney Hunsaker (Fayette Station) Bridge. This bridge crosses the New River about a mile upstream from the gorge bridge. From this lower bridge, the views of the larger bridge are incredible. We spent a long time on the small bridge looking up and downstream admiring the river, the kayakers, and the changing colors of the trees. It was a wonderful experience.

Each year, a "Bridge Day" is held to celebrate the New River Gorge Bridge. Fortunately, we were there too early. "Bridge Day 2008" is October 18. The road is closed so that people can walk across the bridge: about 200,000 people are expected. During the day, parachutists will jump off the bridge and fall to the river below. Bungee jumping has also been done on bridge day. We saw a film of a wedding ceremony with the bride and groom both jumping in wedding dress and tuxedo. Strange goings-on in West Virginia.

No day trip would be complete without some shopping. We found our way to the town of Fayette, WV. This is a busy small town with a courthouse square, Main Street, and several stores. The ladies went one way, and the men stood on several street corners watching the town scene go by. It was a relaxing end to a busy travel day.

There was more to see, but the day was done and so were we. We went to the campground for happy hour and a late dinner. Tuesday was ahead and we needed some rest.

West Virginia Excursion

We departed Renfro Valley Sunday morning around 10:00 AM in beautiful sunshine and clear blue skies above; a perfect day for travel and a continuation of the weather we had experienced since arriving in the Valley. The drive was uneventful. Chuck led, Larry was tail-gunner, and we were in the middle. Our destination was Beckley, WV.

A Flying J stop for fuel was not smooth. The pumps were partly disabled and that made it difficult to fill, since some coaches only fill on one side. The pump credit card mechanisms were not working properly. We ended up almost going through in single file. This was not a big problem, but it did take us a long time to fuel up.

We arrived in the Beckley area mid afternoon. Chuck had found a "campground" that looked good on the Internet, but we had not seen it. Chuck is our "lead dawg" for a lot of reasons: he researches and prepares for every trip; he has several GPS devices to guide him and us along the way; he sets a comfortable pace and always waits for "Red Light" Larry when he gets caught at an intersection; and, he catches his share of bugs on his windshield, although he lets too many pass through to the coaches behind. With all his great qualifications, Chuck made a boo-boo Sunday.

Without going into too much detail, let me say it is an event when three motor homes around 40 feet in length, each towing an automobile, make a U-turn in the middle of a four-lane highway. It was Sunday and traffic was light. It was still a sight to see.

We eventually located our destination, and it is unique. Raleigh County has an armory that has RV parking. This is a paved parking lot on a hill overlooking the armory with full hookups. Some electrical outlets are 30-amps and others are 20-amps. We found three together with 30-amps.

Happy hour Sunday night was a relaxed time when we celebrated our successful trip and looked forward to starting our WV adventure Monday morning.

Kentucky in October III

Each day we are gaining a greater appreciation for and understanding of Renfro Valley. This is far more than a place on a map; it is history, culture, music, entertainment, education, and contemporary business wrapped in an appealing, well marketed package called “Kentucky’s Country Music Capital”.

Renfro Valley Entertainment Center features two show theaters, a shopping village, a full-service RV Park, an historic Lodge Restaurant, a motel and cabins, and a Log Cabin Village. The show schedule is from March 1 to December 21 and concerts and special events are scheduled from April 19 to December 13. Country music stars appear regularly and the in-house performers are very high quality musicians. The final major event for this year is an original production called “Christmas in the Valley” that runs from November 7 to December 20. For more information, go to www.renfrovalley.com.

We already mentioned visiting the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum. We may have to return to gain a deeper understanding of what it offers in education and historical record. We have learned that it is an educational resource of Kentucky’s music history and music fundamentals. A Teacher’s Study Guide is available and resident musicians travel the state to explain and teach to music students in Kentucky schools. The Museum offers resident seminars and workshops in songwriting, singing and individual instruments. Details are found at www.kentuckymusichalloffame.com.

Friday was a perfect weather day. Early morning fog wafted over The Valley and burned off as the sun rose over the mountains to the east. Breakfast was scheduled for 9:30 AM. We were ready much earlier and had coffee in the coach. Our view of the gathering area is blocked by several coaches, so about 9:00 AM Ralph walked that way to see what was happening; breakfast was well underway. By 9:30, most everyone was finished eating. We learned: hungry people can trump printed schedules every time.

The ladies had a shopping trip planned to Berea. Several carloads trekked northward and spent much of the day visiting the “Tater Knob Pottery & Farm” near Berea and the “Bybee Pottery” in Waco, Ky. The men spent time discussing the stock market, repaired coaches, visited the Log Cabin Village, napped, or whatever else came to mind. It was a very relaxed day. In mid afternoon, Larry, Chuck and Ralph drove north to Richmond for a beverage run. Renfro Valley is in a “dry” county. Business was booming in Richmond.

Dinner Friday evening was at 5:00 PM and served at one of the several dining areas throughout the Entertainment Center. It was served “family-style” and consisted of slaw, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, fried chicken, ham, and banana pudding. Well fed, we had time to visit the shops before the evening entertainment. Some folks were seeing Loretta Lynn’s show in one theater, and the others, including us, were seeing a show called “Tribute to the Legends”. We thoroughly enjoyed the performance. It was entertaining and very high quality, comparable to any show we saw in Branson or Nashville. After the shows we retired to our coaches for a little TV and a good night’s rest.

We have decided to extend our trip by one day. We leave Sunday and will stop near Beckley, WV for two nights. Chuck wants to show us a bridge. More details on that later.

Kentucky in October II

This is a second catch up post. Hopefully, we will be able to keep up the rest of the trip.

Thursday, today, is our first full day at Renfro Valley and the first day of the Discovery Rally. We have already met some friendly and fun people, and there are many folks yet to meet. This seems to be a great group and we are indebted to Donna and Chuck for inviting us.

We really slept well last night. The night was cool and today is cloudless and warm. Perfect. We spent much of today at the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. This is a fabulous museum and extremely educational. Kentucky is the birthplace of Bluegrass music and the museum provided an historical review of its development. We learned of the impact of such musicians as Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, Bill Monroe, and many others. It was a fun visit to an extremely well done museum.

Happy Hour was underway when we returned from Berea where we went for “lupper” (late lunch, early supper). If Wal-Mart is a RVer’s first stop in town, Cracker Barrel is second. We ate first at Cracker Barrel then went to Wal-Mart. We couldn’t eat a thing at happy hour. We met some more great folks this evening. We are having a great time.

Kentucky in October

This trip began Sunday, October 5. We have not been able to write in a timely way that corresponds to when we have Internet service; thus, we are catching up.

We are on the road again. Today we are in Kentucky. This trip began last Sunday when we traveled from home to Halsteads’ Hacienda in Louisa, VA. The Tolsons were there when we arrived. We three couples were leaving Monday morning for a trip to Renfro Valley, KY. The Halsteads invited us to assemble at their place for an early start in the morning.

Larry and Mem put on a fabulous fish fry Sunday evening. The fish were from their pond at the farm. Larry and Mem caught, cleaned and deep fried the fish along with hushpuppies, green tomatoes, and french-fried potatoes. Janice made Asian coleslaw and Donna provided lemon-bars for dessert. What a feast!
Monday was a perfect weather day for travel. We headed out around 9:00 AM. Larry led our caravan as we headed west along I-64 and then south on I-81. Our first destination was Camping World in Roanoke. Purchases were minimal; we had to park in the Gander Mountain lot across the street so we also shopped there. Next, we stopped at the Flying J truck center in Wytheville for fuel.

The Flying J was closed. There was yellow tape around the RV pumps and orange cones in front of the truck lanes. We made a big circle through the lot and were about to leave when Chuck decided to try to find out why everything was closed. As he turned toward the RV pumps, the tape was being removed. We never did learn why the tape was there, but we did get fuel. Our best guess was a power failure.

We left I-81 for route US 68 West at Bristol. This route took us into an area we had never seen. The first 20 miles were curvy, slow, two-lane, hilly, and beautiful. The foliage was beginning to change color and the day was sunny and clear. Who could ask for more? Chuck was lead-dawg and Larry was tail-gunner. Chuck would alert us to oncoming cars so that we could take the curves in the middle of the road. Larry was forever playing catch up after being caught at traffic lights and a Jeep Liberty that kept getting in front of him.

We arrived at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park in the early afternoon. This is a relatively new National Park opening being established in 1955. The visitor’s center is quite modern and shows two films about the history of the Gap, Daniel Boone, and Dr. Thomas Walker. This was a great visit and reminds us that we need to know more about our history. After the visitor’s center we six crowded into Larry’s Ford and drove to the Pinnacle Overlook, 2440 feet above sea level. The views were extraordinary. We began the day in Virginia, dipped into Tennessee, and ended the day in Kentucky.

Our destination for the night was the Wal-Mart in Middlesboro, KY. We arrived before the rain began and even had time for happy hour in the parking lot. We made our obligatory shopping trip into the store, had dinner in our coach, and were ready for “Dancing With the Stars” on TV. Rain arrived in sprinkles by 11:00 PM, and in earnest around 4:30 AM. We delayed our departure until 10:00 AM because we had a short trip to Renfro Valley. It was raining when we drove away and stayed wet until we arrived.

We are now settled into our campground. We have 20 Discovery coaches scheduled for this rally. So far, we are the only SOB (Some Other Brand) couple here. Tonight we met many of the early arrivals; these are nice people. Two couples parked next to us have roots in Columbus, GA. Janice has enjoyed talking “southern” with them about things past and present in Columbus. The rally officially begins tomorrow.