Plans, What Plans? (Part 1 of 3)

Well here we are at last writing about our most current travels rather than apologizing for being behind. We set out from Cape Lookout National Seashore in late March with 6 weeks to reach our Summer 2018 destination at Grand Portage National Monument in northern Minnesota. Before we even left our plans had changed several times as we tried to figure out how to get our small boat to Minnesota. Finally we realized that this purchase was not one of our brightest ideas and it was unnecessarily complicating our lives. We donated it and moved on.

As we write this edition to our blog we realize we packed a great deal into a few weeks. To make our posts more timely and easier to read we will break up our travels into three sections, all of which revolved around getting repairs done, done well and dealing with having to be out of your home in the process. This is the downside reality to all of the wonderful times we enjoy as full time travelers.

Our first stop would be at Pocahontas State Park near Richmond, Virginia. We’d been here about four years ago and realized there was much more to see and do. Since then we’d added trying to tour all of our state capitols. So that’s where we would start. As luck would have it we met up with RV friends Janice and Dave for the tour and dinner at The Village Cafe, a Triple D stop.

The Virginia Capitol March 2018

The Capitol Dome

George Washington Statue Made From A Life Mask

The Village Cafe, A Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Stop

Also while visiting the Richmond area we toured the Museum of the Confederacy and the Confederate White House. The museum has one of the most extensive collections of original artifacts and should be a stop for anyone with interest in history. Having toured the Jefferson Davis home in Biloxi and knowing his post war story, it was a great comparison to tour the Confederate White House.

On Tour At The White House of the Confederacy

Davis Children’s Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our history blitz continued with day trips to four more National Park sites: George Washington’s Birthplace National Monument, Thomas Stone National Historic Site, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County Battlefields Memorial National Military Park and the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site. While at the G. W. Birthplace we learned how the first Washington ancestor to arrive on our shores did so literally by accident. He had invested in a merchant ship that was wrecked and stayed. Just think of the alternative history potential if this hadn’t happened and George was British General! Ever hear of Thomas Stone? Can’t say we had either. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and a moderate voice in the discussion. Weather was not good during our two days exploring the widespread Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania Battlefields. However the campaigns here shaped our history and are most interesting. Lastly we learned about a fascinating woman, Maggie Walker, a woman of color who rose to prominence when neither her race or her gender were given their due. I kept wondering why I’d never heard of her during either Black history month or Women’s history month.

A Barn At The Thomas Stone NHS

A home Used As A Hospital At Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania NMP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maggie Walker Portrait

As if our brains weren’t already busting with new information, we made a trip to Jamestown, VA to see where it all started in the first permanent English settlement in the USA. The museum is extensive and very well executed as is the reconstructed village. Little did we know at the time that fellow volunteers we’d meet at Grand Portage NM live in the area and have volunteered at Jamestown for several years.

Voyage To Jamestown

A Replica Ship

Living History At Jamestown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chari Sports A New Look

 

 

 

 

 

And now it is time to move on to Pennsylvania where we will drop off our 5th wheel for repairs in Greencastle, PA and visit family in Chambersburg. We had a long list of things needing work but the most pressing was our leaky roof that despite two other attempts at getting fixed still left us with using a bucket during heavy rain. Keystone RV suggested we do a special test where air is forced through the roof and leaks not easily spotted can be found.The special test is not covered by our manufacturer’s warranty but we just want the leak fixed so agreed to the $300 cost. Also on our list was the persistent problem of the bedroom slide not closing properly. We would also finally repair our ding to the front cap from making too tight a turn. The repairs would take a week.

We visited with Steve’s mother and sister in time for Easter where we saw other family from New York. His mother had recently turned 90 and looks great. Our one week stay became two when the RV dealer had their fork lift die and couldn’t get our rig into the shop. You know the 3 day rule about fish and company having stayed too long? We all joked about it but by the end of 2 weeks we all were anxious to return to normal.

We did some local sightseeing, went to Harrisburg to see the Pennsylvania Capitol Building and toured more NPS sites (C&O Canal, Catoctin Mountain and Antietam NB). The Pennsylvania Capitol is the most elaborate one we’ve visited. That’s saying something as we’ve seen some gorgeous ones. We hope you don’t mind all of the photos but art was everywhere here. The floor tiles depicting everything from early settlement to industry cover the entire entry floor. Another excellent and free tour.

Pennsylvania Capitol In Harrisburg Has 2 Domes

Artwork Begins Outside With Sculptures

Art Continues Inside On The Walls, Ceiling and Floor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Handcrafted Floor Tiles

Inside One Of The Domes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The View From Above

One Of The Legislative Chambers

We visited Antietam on a rainy day so just did the drive and stopped at a few spots. If I’d only known then that my great grandfather had been in that battle, I’d have looked up his regiment. Thank goodness he survived or I wouldn’t be here! At Catoctin Mountain we did a short hike and tried to peak through the trees to see Camp David as we drove along. It is posted “Do not stop.” I do think they are serious. C&O Canal has several Visitor Centers. We visited a smaller one nearest Chambersburg. I’d love to go back to see the main center and do a bike ride on the towpath.

To Those Who Fought And Fell

Battle On The Stone Bridge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peaceful Today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve And Opal Along The C&O Towpath

 

 

The Three Of Us At Catoctin Mountain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally the RV repairs were done. The bill came to $2600! Gulp! That’s after the things covered by warranty. So much for keeping the credit card under control this month. Due to the delay we’d cancelled our stay in western PA until our next visit. So off we head to Ohio thinking we were all fixed. To be continued in Part 2.

An Interesting Mix In Year Six

Wow! Can we really be coming to the end of our sixth year on the road? We don’t feel we’ve even scratched the surface of things to do and see!

From May 2017-May 2018 we covered many miles as you can see in our route map below. We almost made a spoon shape route. We went from the Rockies to the Atlantic coast to the Great Lakes while juggling health and RV repair issues. Challenges… yes. Adventure galore! Drop dead gorgeous scenery… you bet! Good eats … mmmmm.

We are starting a new composite map for years 6-10 as continuing to layer our routes would make it unreadable. However just for fun we’ll post a composite so you can see what 180,000 miles looks like.

Join us for Year Seven as we explore summer in northern Minnesota, head back to Indiana for (we hope) our last major repairs and on to a glorious winter in Arizona. See you on the road!

 

Our 6th Year On The Road

 

Composite Of Our First Six Years

Lake Hartwell, SC

Now we head almost five hours across the state to the southwest corner of South Carolina. We’ll be staying at Coneross Campground on Lake Hartwell. This is a Corps of Engineers campground with about 100 sites most of which have RV hookups. The lake spans across the SC/GA line. There are several other campgrounds around the lake. Lake Hartwell is primarily for water supply to the Atlanta area but is also used for recreation. If you lived in the south during the severe drought in 2007-2008 you might remember that this lake dwindled to only a 30 day supply. It still is down 15-20 feet from full level.We arrived to find our site was a lovely, wooded drive-thru spot. The sitting and eating area was a large terrace  adjacent to the driveway.

We spent our first day kayaking and swimming on Lake Hartwell. Although we left the boats at the water’s there was so much to do in the area that we didn’t get back again. The park was also good for a four mile bike ride.

Camping at Coneross

View of Lake Hartwell from our site

The nearest large town is Clemson, home of Clemson University. If you don’t like orange and purple or the Clemson Tigers beware! They are crazy for their teams, especially football.  You don’t want to come here on a home football weekend when 80,000 fans descend on Death Valley as the football stadium is known. Other towns in the area are Spencer, Pendleton and Walahalla. There is another barn quilt trail here with 100 locations. We didn’t have time to visit this trail but did see some of the quilts displayed on homes and businesses as well as barns.

One of the attractions in this area was visiting historically significant homes, a church and a graveyard. Known as the Old Stone Church it was built by Scot-Irish settlers in 1797 and used until the mid 1820s. The adjacent graveyard is still used today. There are several interesting grave sites. One was a man killed in a duel in the early 1800s. He was allowed burial there only outside the boundaries of the graveyard. However the boundaries continued to expand and his grave is now almost in the center. Another famous person buried there is Andrew Pickens, the general famous for winning the Battle of Cowpens (see our Spartanburg Area post). A monument to the builder of the Old Stone Church and parents of Thomas Jefferson Rusk was erected by the state of Texas in 1936. We’d never heard of him but figured if another state would erect a tombstone to his parents, we’d better find out. Thank Goodness for Google and Wikipedia! He was one of the principal generals at the Battle of San Jacinto where Texans defeated Santa Anna. He also served as the first Secretary of state for the Texas Republic. By far the story that intrigued me the most was about a lady from Charleston who was one of New Orleans most infamous woman of ill repute (or as the sign said even in a city known for bad behavior her deeds stood out.) Her brother went to New Orleans and shot both his sister and her lover. Apparently suffering from remorse he brought her body back to the Old Stone Church for burial. The congregation would allow burial only if her grave was surrounded by a brick wall. So in death as in life she was ostracized. The grave is rather overgrown now but a part of the inscription begins with “A Brother’s Sorrow….”.

Old Stone Church in Clemson, SC

Woodburn Plantation

General Andrew Pickens

Clemson University owns several historic properties on or near campus. We tried to visit Woodburn Plantation but it was closed. Later we learned it was open Wednesday-Friday. We took pictures through the fence. One place for “when we come back…” Fort Hill is the home of Thomas Clemson who donated the land to start Clemson University. He was the son-in-law of John C. Calhoun who built the home in the 1820s. When the home was willed to the university Thomas Clemson stipulated that it should always be open to the people. Therefore, Clemson University has volunteers trained to give tours in all of its historical properties. The two tours we took were excellent and we’d highly recommend them to anyone visiting the area. Since the Calhoun home is in the middle of the university it will be much easier to park if you go on a weekend. We went on a Sunday and parked right in front of the house. One of John C. Calhoun’s sisters married into the Custis family as in Martha Custis Washington. When furniture from Mount Vernon was being dispersed his sister asked if he’d like George Washington’s campaign chair. The chair is a fragile looking Windsor style. You have to wonder how it survived being toted about in such rough conditions. We were the only people in the home at the time. So when Steve expressed interest in the chair, the guide dropped the velvet rope and let us go inside the room for a closer look. What a thrill!

Rusk Family Memorial

A Brother’s Sorrow ….                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Another property open for tour is Hanover House which is located on the grounds of the SC Botanical Garden.  This is a rare example of a French Hugenot home. It was originally built in the low country between 1714-1718. Although it had been allowed to run to ruin a state senator felt it was worth saving from impending flood control projects and contacted Clemson to see if they would like to have the property for their Architecture school. It has now been beautifully restored and period furniture shows it off well. The original owner was a French artist whose works were of similar style but pre-dated those of Audubon. Also on the Botanical Garden grounds is a Geology Museum worth seeing.

Hanover House

Inside Hanover House

Fort Hill, Home of John C. Calhoun and Thomas Clemson

Fort Hill on Clemson University campus

Over Labor Day weekend we had a very heavy rain. On Monday when Opal had her morning walk we found that a large branch had come down in front of the truck (not on it, thankfully) and blocked the exit. We weren’t  planning on going out today so when I reported the problem to the gatehouse I told them not to bother anyone to come out on a holiday and that Tuesday would be fine. It hadn’t been more than a half hour when a maintenance truck arrived. They had the limb down and the driveway cleared in ten minutes. Now that’s service.) 

No Way Out

Over Labor Day weekend we had a very heavy rain. On Monday when Opal had her morning walk we found that a large branch had come down in front of the truck (not on it, thankfully) and blocked the exit. We weren’t  planning on going out today so when I reported the problem to the gatehouse I told them not to bother anyone to come out on a holiday and that Tuesday would be fine. It hadn’t been more than a half hour when a maintenance truck arrived. They had the limb down and the driveway cleared in ten minutes. Now that’s service.)

We went out to dinner once while in the area to a place that was listed in a brochure about a local music trail. We hoped to find something similar to the Crooked Road. Seems this information was a bit out of date as several of the places listed no longer had live music. The restaurant had changed names and owners from Just BBQ to Smoke and Blue but they were still using the http://www.justbbq.com site. It turned out to be a good local place using cafeteria trays and styrofoam plates serving from a steam table. There were people from a five year old celebrating her birthday to college lacrosse players to over four generations of  a family line dancing. The BBQ was very good and you could try any of the five sauces. The music was more country than bluegrass but we enjoyed it very much and even danced a bit.

Just northwest of this area is the start of waterfall country so we set out to find two of them. I thought Steve had put my hiking boots in the truck and he thought I was bringing them. So much for communication! I only had sandals on so had to forego getting down to some of the falls. Next time I’ll double check. The first waterfall is called Issaqueena Falls. Local legend says that Issaqueena was an Indian maiden who fell in love with an English settler around the 1760s. When she learned of her tribe’s plans to attack the settlement, she rode to warn them. She kept track of the distance by estimating miles to the settlement and that settlement became known as Ninety-six and is still known by that today. Fearing that her tribe would take revenge, the lovers went to Issaqueena Falls and pretended to leap off but landed on a ledge below. They escaped the area and lived together for many years. Near Issaqueena Falls is an old railroad tunnel called Stumphouse Tunnel. It was built in an attempt to connect Charleston to Knoxville but succumbed during the Civil War and never was finished. The tunnel is 17 feet wide and 25 feet high. You can walk in about 50 feet before  coming to a gate. It’s pitch black so bring a flashlight. The cool temperature and high moisture level in the tunnel made an ideal environment for the Clemson University dairy program to make the first bleu cheese in the area. The second falls was Brasstown Falls which has a larger Upper Falls and a multi-tiered Lower Falls. The upper Falls is accessed by crossing a knee deep stream and climbing a bank. It’s worth the effort. While visiting Lower Brasstown Falls we were taking pictures when Steve slipped and came down precariously close to the edge. That man will give me a heart attack someday!Steve here… she exaggerates a bit. I was more worried about the camera being damaged than myself. I was there so I’ll settle this. Dad takes too many risks and Mom is a worrier. – Opal

Steve and Opal at Stumphouse Tunnel

Wildflowers Near Waterfalls

Lower Brasstown Falls

Upper Brasstown Falls in HDR Software

As usual we hated to leave. Another place for “when we come back”.