Day 7

Woke up to light rain and 37° temps, and as we left our campground around 8 AM, it started to flurry! Ironically, the temp in our hometown of Sugar Hill was 65° this morning.  Go figure.

Leaving Fort Mountain State Park in a light drizzle and flog, we drove to Chattanooga, which is about 50 miles to the northwest for a day of good food and sight seeing.

Chorizo home fries!

 Our visit to Chattanooga started at the Bluegrass Grill, which is located in a very stylishly renovated section of the city.  There was a long line in front, but we knew from our previous visit, that it was worth the wait, and since we both had down jackets, we were comfortable waiting. This restaurant has the top rating on Trip Advisor, and it certainly lived up to its billing.

Leaving the Bluegrass Grill, we walked to the old train station that has been converted into a hotel, and also houses the original Chattanooga Choo Choo, which originally ran between this city and Cincinnati.  Some of the original cars have been converted to hotel rooms, but since we were staying at the hotel, we couldn’t check them out.

 Returning to the van, we drove to the Hunter Museum that overlooks the Tennessee River.  The museum, which is attached to a mansion that was originally owned by the president of Coca Cola, houses a variety of American artworks dating back to George Washington’s time to very contemporary works as well.  

Thomas Hart Benton

Grandma Moses

We left the museum, stopped at a nearby cafe for lunch which consisted of coffee and almond biscotti, and then drove up to the top of Lookout Mountain where the National Park Service maintains a memorial to the Battle of Chattanooga which took place in November of 1863.   We listened to a ranger’s talk about the battle and learned some fascinating points:  #1.  The postal service began home delivery during the Civil War so that the families of deceased, missing, or captured soldiers could read the official notice of that in their own homes.  #2  Like residents of today’s European Union who would first tell you they were from France, the citizens of the US during the Civil War would first tell you they were from Tennessee.

This is the New York monument on Lookout Mountain.  It is one of the few Civil War memorials that depicts a Confederate and Union soldier.  

Descending form Lookout Mountain we returned to Chattanooga and picked up some take out Mexican food for our dinner.  It was still raining at this point in the afternoon, so we knew we would not be cooking outside.  Upon arriving at our campsite, the temp was now only 41°, so we’re anticipating another chilly night, thank goodness we have good sleeping bags!

Days 5 and 6

Spent Thursday just hanging out with Joy and Paul in Boone.   The weather was beautiful, so we really enjoyed the spectacular views from their property.  Joy gave us a driving tour of Boone, and showed us many of the homes that Paul has flipped.  He does incredible work, Joanne and Chip would be jealous for sure.   It was a lot of fun to just catching up; they could not have been more gracious hosts.   

Friday we woke to the heavy rains as predicted.  We experienced heavy rains & pea soup fog as we drove from Boone to Asheville.  It continued to pour when we arrived in Asheville.   The streets were starting to flood, so we really limited our activities which was a shame because I think Asheville is one of the most appealing cities I’ve ever visited. 

lunch counter at Woolworths...the rest of the store is an at gallery

 The Good Friday crowds shut us out of our first two choices for breakfast, so we grabbed a croissant and cappuccino at a downtown bakery, and only visited a bookstore, art gallery, and the Grove Arcade before heading toward our campsite for the night in Fort Mountain, Georgia.  Intermittent heavy rains continued to slow us down as we drove across the Blue Ridge peaks in southern North Carolina into Georgia, and we arrived at our campground around 5:45 PM.  

Looking east from Winding Stair Gap, Elevation 3690 ft.

We stayed at this campground two years ago.  I think it is one of the best we’ve ever visited.  It’s about a one hour’s drive from here to Chattanooga, where we plan to go tomorrow, weather permitting.   Since it was Easter weekend, there were a lot more campers here than at the other parks we’ve visited so far, but the weather kept us inside the van for the evening. I’m certainly happy we’re not tenting it.

Day 4

Started the day with breakfast at the campsite.  Nothing too elaborate, just cereal, OJ, and coffee.  On the road by 8:15 AM, we drove south to Floyd, Virginia, an artsy/hippie town that is famous for a weekly country music and gospel jamboree that take place every Friday night at the Floyd Country Store.

Most of our driving today was on back-country roads that meandered through the rolling foothills along the western slope of the Blue Ridge mountains.  Lots of working farms, that have probably seen better days, but still stood as testaments to the hard work and determination of proud Americans.

Leaving Floyd, we continued on to Galax, Virginia where we had our first taste of true barbecue at the Galax Smokehouse.   The brisket, pulled pork, and hush puppies were yummy.  After lunch we tried to visit the Bluegrass Museum, just outside of Galax, but unfortunately it was closed.  L

From Galax, we followed the Blue Ridge Parkway into North Carolina, continuing onward to Boone, NC, where we will be spending the next two nights with an old friend and fellow English teacher from Massena, New York, where my career started in 1973.  

View from Joy & Paul's Deck

Day 3

Left the campground around 8:15 AM, & stopped in Gettysburg for coffee and a sweet roll. Updated my blog while at the coffee shop, and hit the highway around 10:00 AM.  The drive through Maryland, West Virginia, and into Virginia was beautiful; lots of rolling hills, farms, and flowering trees.   First stop was the northern entrance to Shenandoah National Park, 107 miles to the south.  We stayed on Skyline Drive for 64 miles, stopping occasionally for the incredible panoramic views of the Shenandoah River valley.  Unfortunately due to the altitude, the vibrant spring colors had not yet arrived along the route, so photo ops weren't great and our animal sightings were minimal, one squirrel, one pheasant, and no deer.  

Leaving the national park we headed for the town of Lexington, Virginia, home to both Virginia Military Academy and Washington & Lee University.  VMI’s buildings were very reminiscent of The Citadel in Charleston, very fortress like and not very appealing.  However, the W & Lee campus was beautiful, very similar to UVA, so we took a brief walk through that campus.  Robert E. Lee  spent his post Civil War career at the university, which is the 7^tholdest in the U.S. 

Leaving the campus we walked into town for dinner at the Southern Inn.  This restaurant was right out of John Grisham novel,  a couple of lawyers were sitting at the bar across from our table, as we dined on some of the best fried chicken I have ever tasted.  My White Cosmo was pretty good too.

The drive from Lexington to our campground for the night was a short one, only 20 minutes. I had booked a reservation at the Cave Mountain Lake Recreation Area which is operated by the National Forest Service.  The campsite was alongside a creek, very picturesque, but it was deep into the Blue Ridge Mountains, so we had no cell service and were not able to listen to the Red Sox-Yankees game.    

 

Day 2

Spent most of today driving 375 miles from Glastonbury to Gettysburg.  The drive was uneventful except for some very heavy downpours, but the traffic was light and at least it wasn’t snowing.  Driving west on I-84 from Glastonbury, we passed through Newtown, Connecticut, where the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place. Just knowing you’re in the town where such a senseless tragedy took place just tugs at my heart.

Arriving in Gettysburg around 3:30 PM, left just enough time for a self guided driving tour through the battlefields.  This is our 4^thvisit, but I still enjoy the auto tour.  The scenery is absolutely beautiful, lots of flowering trees, and there’s just something special and indescribable about being on the same earth where such a significant battle in our nation’s history took place.

We had an early dinner at “Food 101”, Gettysburg’s #1 rated restaurant according to Trip Advisor. You are allowed to bring you own booze, so we had a fabulous dinner for $37 plus tip.  This was the third time we’ve eaten there, and it didn’t disappoint.

Spent the night at Pine Grove Furnace State Campground, 25 north of Gettysburg; another repeat appearance. Private sites, spotless bathrooms, and it’s located at the midpoint of the Appalachian Trail.

Day 1

Left Sugar Hill around 7:30 AM, driving south, 221 miles to Nick & Chetty's home in Connecticut.  It was 34° in Sugar Hill,  and a delightful 77° in Glastonbury.  The sky was blue, the grass was green, and the forsythia was in bloom.  Spring has finally arrived, as has Abbi, their new rescue dog from Louisiana, who arrived earlier this week.