Our rides through the Smoky Mts. have shown us beautiful scenery for sure---apparently it's a big biker journey also--never have seen so many bikers--(giving the "wave" to other bikers)--going up Mt. Mitchell it was bicyclers--here motorcyclists--I have discovered that I'm not as slow as I thought--w/ my "snakedar" on I can see, leap,pivot, and scream all at once when I'm surprised by a big snake--no more walks by streams for me.!!

Cades Cove

Another mountain drive. Cades Cove is an historic area located within the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The drive out follows mountain creeks and streams with scenic overlooks one after the other. A "cove" is a sheltered valley with deep, rich soils. At several spots we got out and walked along the creeks. At one spot, we walked past a snake which was sunning itself. People in front of us didn't see it, I didn't see it, but Dana did. She jumped a little bit. It looked to be a Garder or Water snake, about 3' long and over an inch in diameter. It finally slithered under a log after we had disturbed it sufficiently .The site when you arrive is beautiful and set up for picnicing, which many people do professionally with multiple coolers, tablecloths etc. We just sat at a table and ate. For the ride back, we took the Rich Mountain Road. The sign entering the road warned that it was a "primative road" which meant unpaved, narrow, and poorly maintained. It was much longer than a look at the map would lead you to believe. Got home and watched a little NBA. Go Nets. After dinner we went to a new, upscale mini golf course. We pushed the front, but I came on strong to win the back and overall, finishing with back to back aces. It was $11 a head which for some reason surprised me.

Iris Dement

Yesterday was a slow one here in Pigeon Forge. Dana did laundry, I had the truck serviced and we watched "High Noon," the old Gary Cooper-Grace Kelly film. They really don't make them like they used to. After that invigorating day, we headed into Knoxville for the Iris Dement concert. We ate at the Bistro, next door to the Bijou Theatre on Gay St. in the downtown area. The meal was great, the desserts better. Irsis had a fellow who is John Prine's lead guitarist, open with a set of his own. He was very entertaining and a terrific guitar player. Iris's music is usually found in the "Folk" gendre section at music stores and we have one of her cds. She's actually way more of a Mountain Music or country singer. She came out in a very unflattering polka dotta dress. About half her songs were played with backup from a bass guitarist and the aforementioned lead guitarist, and half were by herself playing piano or guitar. Most of her songs deal with life situations. Her voice goes right through me and I loved the show. Dana thought all her songs sound alike and the lyrics were very hard to understand. At any rate, it took about 40 minutes to get back to camp, and it was way past my bed time.

For my "flower friends" the road through the Great Smokeys National Park is lovely--carpets of spring beauties on the roadsides, several types of trilliums, and bubbling mountain streams--I can't find my wildflower book--is it with me, or is it in storage in Hackettstown???
Once it's warm I have to remind you all of the beautiful gem in N.J.---the Leonard J. Buck wildflower garden in Far Hills--it's so charming, and many of the flowers I see here are there--GO !

On Top of Old Smokey

Clingman's Dome is 6643 feet above sea level and the high point in the Smokeys and Tn. ( Somewhere in an earlier blog I said Mt. Mitchell in NC was the highest point east of the Mississippi River at 6400 feet. It's actually 6684.) We drove Rt. 441 through the National Park and took the 7 mile divertion trip to the Dome. The walk from the parking lot to the top is about a half mile according to the signs, but sure feels longer. They were nice to provide benches to rest on along the way. At the top, a circular concrete ramp leads to an observation platform above the tree tops. It's another 360 degree view of the mountains and spectacular. A very large young man with a fear of heights was struggling to regain his composure for the walk down the ramp. Some of his buddies helped him out and he was able to do it. On the way down we passed a hiker who was nearing the end of hiking the Appalachian Trail. He had started at the north end in Maine. Didn't hear when. He was wearing all the gear and marching like he wanted to win a bet. The balsam species trees in all the upper elevations in the region are being attacked by an adelgid similar to what we've seen in Jersey with a related insect killing hemlocks. We are in a campground right in Pigeon Forge, home of Dollywood and presumably Dolly Parton. We've yet to see Dolly, but the mountains are a constant reminder of her presence. The Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg area on the Tennessee side and Cherokee on the N.C. side of the park are immense tourist traps. Smokey Mountain National Park is the most visited national park in the country. Wish we had stayed at a more remote site. Will cross the 5000 miles driven point today.

Through the Cumberland Gap

We drove north and west from here yesterday and went to The Cumberland Gap National Area. It was a dismal rainy day so mountain views were blocked. Interesting show about the area and significance of the passage. Indians called it the Warrior's Trail as different tribes used it to acess the rich hunting area of Kentucky and try to prevent others from taking it. Of course D.Boone used it also. Returning home a different route, we saw some neat looking shrouds of clouds draping the hills. If pix come out, will post. When we got back, severe weather warnings were up for the area and we watched the skys for a few hours. You know how those funnel clouds gravitate to trailer areas. According to morning news, a couple may have touched down north and west of here. Over to Pigeon Forge and the cleavage of the Smokies today.

We have been driving around the countryside and it's beautiful--rolling green hills, like Sussex County times two!! Steep hills with the cows and sheep populating them--You could find a little hill and have a home looking into a lovely little valley of your own--If you could find a spot not too steep. The leaves are out on the trees, but we seem to between seasons for the flowers--there are Huge rhododendrons in the mts. but not even close to being out yet.

Downtown Knoxville

We went downtown yesterday. Lady's B-Ball Hall of Fame was ok, but no recognition of Jackie Stiles. Had lunch el fresco on the square in the center of town and noticed a poster for an Iris Dement concert Sat. at the Bijou Theatre. Copped a couple ducats at the box office, 5th row center for the show. Knoxville is a big music area and seems to have 3 or 4 local theatres that have shows. After that, we went to the Knoxville Arts Museum, which AAA had listed as a "Hidden Gem." It was neither. We had a terrific but tortuously slow dinnner at Baker Peters Jazz Club on the west side of town. They still allow smoking in restaurants here which seems primative. For all the forecasts of rain and violent storms, we have not had a drop since we got here. They are currently 6" short of normal for the year. Today up to the Cumberland Gap to see where D. Boone explored.

The Secret City

Toured Oak Ridge, Tennessee yesterday. The city was secretly built by the govment in the early 40's for the Manhattan Project. The site was chosen because of the TVA projects which could provide the massive amounts of electricity required. At one point, a seventh of the power used in the country was consumed in production of U-235 and plutonium. They needed 100 lbs of each. An entire city was built with schools, stores, and housing for the 50,000+ people who worked there. If you've driven around the area you could easily imagine how difficult it would have been for anybody to find this place. At any rate, we took a cd self guided tour of the area and facilities. Unlike similar tours we've taken at Gettysburg and other civil war battle fields, this one was difficult to follow. We must have turned around 10 times. It was very interesting. A good deal of original housing still exists. Homes were built as fast as possible using a concrete-asbestos mix material for walls and flat roofs. They were called "flat-tops." That may ring a bell for a couple of you. The govment didn't actually acknowledge the existence of the town until about 1950. It is still one of two spots where real top secret labs exist. The Y-12 lab is the name, and in following our self guided tour, I took a wrong turn and ended up at the entry gate. The armed guards took my license and after about 20 minutes closed traffic in and out so we could u-turn and exit. Not a smile on a face anywhere. Coincidently, last night on the History Channel, the show was on Oak Ridge and attemps to reconstruct what the facility must have looked like at it's peak. It housed the largest building in the world at one point, and still has contaminated areas. Some of you may not know that my Dad worked on AEC projects from about 1951 through 1954. He said that everybody had to wear badges that would change color if radiation was present. He also said that most people ignored them because if you left everytime the badges changed color, nothing would get done.
After that, we rode down to Tellico Lake, another TVA project where a number of golf and boating real estate projects are selling. We didn't go in because they insist that you register with the sales office and be accompanied by them. They keep tire kickers like me at bay.
Today is Danas's birthday, so we shall head into Knoxville and hit a museum or two, the Ladies Basketball Hall of Fame, and hopefully dinner with music. Later.

Knoxville

We had an easy stroll on I-40 and pulled into camp a little after noon. Our site is in Clinton which is north of town on I-75. After setting up, we took a tour of Lake Norris and dam, a part of the TVA. The area is more mountainous than expected with hills, gullies and hollers everywhere. Not much different than Asheville. Our camp is more commercial than our last one, and being just of the interstate, a lot of folks come in late and leave early. Today we hope to explore west of town in the Oak Ridge area. Oak Ridge is famous for atomic energy, The Oak Ridge Boys, and of course Pat Summit and the newly crowned NCAA champion Lady Vols. Pat was on Letterman last night and that made news down here.

Mighty Mount Mitchell

Mt. Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi at about 6400 feet. Carol & Mike's home in Rio Dosa is a thousand feet higher. The views are spectacular and we took a walk on a nature trail through the dense upper elevation vegatation. Still snow and ice in the woods up here. The trail to the very top was closed for repairs and Dana refused to go around the barrier. We stopped at the Southern Craft Guild shop on the Blue Ridge Pkwy, which was very interesting, then into Asheville for a late lunch. Got home and lit our first campfire of the trip. It was a beauty. San Antonio better be careful with this Denver team. They might be able to focus on winning for 5 or 6 games. Off to Knoxville today. Ciao

Hi All--just checking in--I'm still alive, but Bruce promises me another ride up into the mountains!!! I tell you, Blowing Rock N.C. is gorgeous, but once I ever got up there I'd have to stay--these roads--I like the views, just not going around a corner into outer space.
just want to apologize for not posting pictures--I think I got brain lock--couldn't follow my notes, but our system is s-l-o-w a nd perhaps that's part of it--I'll try when we get somewhere else, and I'll try to get them in some order.

The Carolina Gold Rush

Attended a local fair, flee market thing in Marion called the Carolina Gold Rush. This area was apparently populated with people seeking gold. At anyrate, they had animals, exhibits, new gold mining equipment, musicians, and food. Got back to the camper in time to watch some NBA playoff action. Last month was the boys tournament, now it's time for the men to play. Didn't see the Nets, but Detroit looks like they always know what's happening. If I recall correctly, nobody else watches any NBA. We then went back over to Old Fort for dinner at a place called The Fishing Camp. They have live music all evening and more of these old folks who Clog Dance. It's really just foot stompin' with tap shoes. The music was good, but down here they deep fat fry everything except bar b q. The cat fish gave me a belly ache that not even a piece of chocolate creme pie could cure. A Pepto Bismal night for sure. Hope to get Dana to ride back into the mountains today.

Mountain Music

We left yesterday morning heading for Blowing Rock, NC. The road from Lenoir to Blowing Rock, Rt. 321, is being widened. It's a windy, switch-back road and so steep off the edges that you can hardly believe it's possible. They cut from the high side and truck it to the low side. The angle on the construction road looks straight up and down. The Blowing Rock is an outcropping that sits out almost like a pennisula into the Blue Ridge Valley. Almost a 360 degree view. It's privately owned and well kept. We ate a picnic lunch looking over the view. From there about 20 miles south on the Blue Ridge Pkwy to Grandfather Mountain, another privately owned scenic area. The drive to the upper lot put my stomack in my mouth. They've built a suspention bridge over a gourge up there, crossing to an outcropping that lends a full 360 degree view. Spectacular. ( This has to be the bridge that Rich Salmon has early recollections of.) The ride home took awhile. Everything down here is further than I think. We got back and were planning on attending a Navy Band concert in town, but the camp ground owner, Dan, told us that in Old Fort, the town just west of here, there is a little stage and hall where local mucisians play mountain music Friday nights. We got down there and went in. The hall was filled with older folks (aren't we all) of what would be described as an agricultural and back woods crowd. The music was great. Fiddle, bass, mandulin, and guitar. People were dancing what looked like an Irish jig and having a great time. About two hundred people were there. It was a great end to the day.

catching up and local color

Hi--it's the color commentator back again--we're doing very well w/ our adventure so far--cozy in our rv etc. Had a couple of turn-arounds that were challenging, but Bruce is backing this puppy up like a champ!!-----we're in the nicest campground of all--we back up to a trout stream--bubbling away just behind us--Buck Creek--and there are May Apples(wildflowers) going down to the creek--No swimming pools here--just swimming holes--must be fun in the heat of the summer--we took route 80 up into the mts. yesterday--fun for Bruce--white knuckle--again- for me--once up to the Blue Ridge parkway I'm ok. On the way up we passed MORE trailer parks and trout farms and ponds. (another different culture--living in your rv, w/ a roof over it--decks, jungle gyms,patios all set--for the season or forever)
Now there are about 25 rvs in this campground, but only about 4 people here right now--we are ALONE, but we have cable tv!! Last night I was thinking "Deliverance" but I shook it out of my head--I think.-----You could ALMOST get me to stay in a place like this--so beautiful.

O.k.--I'll try pix again-----------------------------------------------------Bye--Dana

The Blue Ridge

We drove from Lake Norman to Mario,NC, using all back roads. It was an easy drive. We are set up in the Buck Creek Campground and Driving Range. It's owned and operated by Dan. It's a great spot. We're backed up to the Buck Creek, a bubbling mountain stream. Instead of a pool, he has Swimming Holes in the creek. The site is on State Route 80, as windy a mountain road as we've been on. After setting up, we continued up 80 to it's intersection with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately the section where 80 hits is under repairs and is not open, so back down we came. Lots of attractions in the area, so we'll be here at least until Monday.

Catawba County,NC

We had a nice tour of Catawba county yesterday. Ron and Jo Ann Veith from Milton moved down here 5 years ago. They live in the county just outside of the town of Newton. The area is pretty, with rolling terrain and quite rural. Jo Ann says it's like Milton 30 years ago. They found a home in an existing community that is beautiful. She toured us around to Lake Hickory and a golf course community as well as older neighborhoods. It was an interesting tour. The area has a lot to offer, and is one we are interested in. Schools down here are by county, not town. Students are assigned a school, but may choose any school in the district. The county will only provide transportation to the assigned school. Only state roads are plowed in the area. Everybody else is on their own. Got over to a Camping World and bought a new antenna head. It works, but only one over-the-air channel comes in clearly. People in the fishing tournament on Lake Norman are showing up at the campground. We're next to a guy who drove up from Louisana. From the look of his rig, he must be a Pro. On to the mountains.

Lake Norman

We made a windy passage from Asheboro to Denver, NC, about a two and half hour ride. It was very gusty the whole way. Many people in the area have been without power as the heavy rains and wind have knocked down trees all over. After setting up, we grabbed a bar b q lunch and took a tour around the west shore of the lake. Lake Norman is large, man made and has coves and pennisulas everywhere, which means all kinds of lake front. The area is highly developed with some very upscale housing. Fishing and boating everywhere. There's a bass tourney on this week, so motels, hotels, and camp sites are bustling. Hope to see the rest of the lake area and the Newton area today, then leave for the mountains tomorrow.

just for the record--being the "weenie" that I am--I thought we were going to die yesterday--we were driving right into the spot where 2 fronts were colliding--VERY SPOOKY weather!!!!Very dark above and to the left, very light below that, and to the right. --After a while we did see the most beautiful rainbow ever!!
from the "white knuckle " co-pilot

Reversal on the weather

After lambasting the weather media maniacs yesterday am, the weather cleared and then turned worse and worse all day long. By the time we circled around to Lexington, NC, the sky was strange, thunder, lightning, and heavy rain prevalent, and we were looking for funnels. Apologies to the media and to Tom Mac inparticular. I'll try not say unkind things about them again. Tom, I don't have your e with me , so I hope you get this message. The restaurant in Portland, Or., is Jake's Crawfish House. You can't go wrong there. Getting back to Lexington, we just heard on the radio that they were named as NC's best town for food by the state legislature. They wanted to be named for the best bar b q, but neighboring areas blocked the vote for that title. We couldn't find an open place in town and ended up back by our campsite at a little place that was great. We leave for Denver, NC today, which is just south of Newton. The Veith's from Oak Ridge moved down here a few years ago and say it's just like Milton 30 years ago. Hopefully we'll be able to see them. We'll be there a couple of days and then move up west of Asheville to a town named Marion, which has a camp ground-driving range combo.

Storms a fraud perpetuated by Weather channel

As usual, weather media overstated the storm potential for last night. Instead of severe thunderstorms and damaging winds, we had rain and a breeze. We pulled in two of the slide -outs to be safe. This is what happens when folks "sell" weather. ( Michael Creighton's "State of Fear" ) Went into Asheboro yesterday for the first time. Nice little downtown area with shops etc. It's in a "dry" county we found out. Debbie and Rich came over for dinner and to take a look at our rv. We had a nice visit and meal and discussed many important isssues. A large group of bikers were at the campground this weekend, but they weren't like the bikers in the movies. Most of them were tent camping, so with the weather forecast the majority hightailed it before dark. It would have been a nasty night in a tent. Hope you folks up north miss the storm also. Good luck.

Debbie's Home

We went over to Debbies's and picked up Rich and went for a ride around the area. We checked out the Jordan Dam and area as well as some other camp sites. We ended up at the coop store that Melissa got up and running. It's a real nice market place with produce, salad bar, coffee bar, and rows of organic goods. The people working there were polite and engaging. When we walked in the door the guy who was cashiering greeted us. (never had that happen in this type of store before) If you're ever in Pittsboro, be sure and find the Chatham Market. After that, we returned to Debbie's, and we all worked on leveling a basketball hoop that Gretchen had installed on the edge of the driveway. Not sure exactly why it was out, because the first piece of pipe set in concrete was perfectly plum. This is what can happen when labor is not properly supervised. (Tim Salmon was not in the area at the time) Had a nice dinner and dessert and then played a game of HORSE with Debbie, Ava, Tucker and me. North Carolina rules. (if you miss on "E", you get a second chance to make it.) Great fun. Nasty storms possible here tonight. Looks like we're on the southern edge of the path.

Natural Bridge to Raleigh

We crossed back over the Blue Ridge Mountains going SE from Roanoke, Va, t0 Ashboro, NC on Rt 220, a four lane highway almost all the way with close to zero traffic.It was really a scenic ride. Stopped at a Revolutionary War Site in Guilford, NC. Our guys lost the battle, but British loses left them unable to continue, and they had to wander back toward the coast for supplies and reinforcements. It was all down hill for the Brits after that, and Yorktown occurred within a year. Our camp ground in Ashboro is very, very rural. We set up, put $200 worth of fuel in the truck (first since Baltimore), and stopped at a bar-b-que joint on the main road. Pork barb, cole slaw, hush puppies, french fries, baked beans and non-alcoholic beverages. With tip, $20. Drove about 35 miles east on Rt. 64 to Pittsboro and tracked down Debbie Martin, Rich Salmon, Jetur, Melissa, her children Tucker and Marin, and her friend, Joe. Quite a lively group. Followed them back to Debbie's house and chatted for a while. Rich looks great . Hope to see them again today. All for now.

Hi all--Bruce has been blogging his heart out, so I'm doing color---the ride across Va. was beautiful---green hills and baby cows and lambs in the fields. The dogwoods and redbuds are gorgeous--they don't show up well in the pictures--the southern states do so well by their highways--sound walls landscaped, and roadsides planted w/ daffodils and tulips.
I'm going to try my hand at pictures---Montpelier--and the cedar of lebanon tree that perhaps was given by Lafayette, Natural Bridge--although we got there in the early evening--was amazing--wildflowers growing--trillium, duthcman's breeches ,jack in the pulpit, and spring beauties. This place is a treasure--BUT-we stayed for the evening show where the bridge is illuminated and classical music played while the story of the creation is heard---too slow--too cold--we walked out on God--hope no grudges are held there.
As we wandered along o Rt. 11N. I saw "Foamhenge" sitting on top of a hill--You won't see this in a travel brochure!!

0 day

Not much happening today. Rained on and off, hard at times. Went up on the Skyline Drive and drove N to Lexington, home of VMI and Stonewall Jackson. Foggy patches up there. Our site had a cable tv hook up, so we watched for the first time . Say goodbye to the I-man.

Montpelier and Natural Bridge

Had a relaxing and interesting ride south thru Md., across the Potomac to Va. We then drove west to Fredericksburg and then due west on Rt 20 to James Madison's home, Montpelier. His original home had eventually been purchased by members of the duPont family who greatly expanded it and made it into an equestrian center and home. They eventually donated the whole property to a foundation which investigated renovation. They decided to restore it. Madison's father had built the original home in 1760 or so, and Madison added on and elaborated the home in 1797. The duPonts had doubled the size and changed the look considerably. They tore off all the duPont additions, and began an investigation of how the 1797 was configured and decorated. The house exterior is complete, but the interior is still under renovation and they're still finding interesting detail, some going back to the 1760's. Windows to the sides of the front door were discovered to be pocket windows, that is they slid into the wall to be open in warm weather. These windows had 30 some coats of paint. They had no parking for buses or rvs so I had to park across several car spots, and the entry roads were extremely narrow. On the way out, I took a wrong turn and ended up in the working area of the estate where the roads were as narrow as sidewalks and took about half an hour to get turned around. The locals had a good laugh. After that, we hit I64 at Charlotteville, and drove over the Blue Ridge into the Shenandoah Valley, then south on I81 to Natural Bridge, Va. We are staying in a Jellystone camp ground there for two nights. Because the forecast was so bad for the next two days, we got set up and went over to Natural Bridge, which turned out to be a hidden gem. The walk thru the area was beautiful, and it sure is raining this am.

The Road to Manassas

I've been obsessing about the lack of tv and my broken antenna, so yesterday I dragged Dana all the way around DC to Manassis where a CampingWorld store is located. It took about an hour and 10 to get there, and although they had lots of parts for antennas, they didn't have mine. The trip back home on I66 and the beltway took about two 15. Unbelievably bad. Got home just in time to run up to Baltimore and meet Rip, Diane, Jetur, Christopher and his girlfriend Amy and Patricia Hubbert, who unbeknowst to me lives in the area. (She is due around June with twins. )We ate at a nice Mexican place and had great food and flan. On the road to Natural Bridge today. Later

Easter with Rip & Diane

We spent a rather chilly Easter with Rip and Diane at their Linthicum homestead. They had a nice fire going which really felt good. We watched the Masters and discussed just about everything from people (maybe you) to current affairs. Nothing of substance was resolved. They served a delicious meal seen on Rachel Ray, and an equally tasty dessert, a cobbler a la mode. They are truly the hosts with the most. Who's Zach Johnson and what's he doing winning Tiger's tournament? After T eagled 13, everybody was supposed to fold. The one propane tank ran out over night, so we woke up cold. We will most likely leave here tomorrow am, heading toward Natural Bridge,Va. A couple days there and then on to Raleigh,NC. Later

Cherry Blossoms

We thought of sneaking back into DC this am to photo and view cherry blossoms, but the word is that the cold and wind has taken them all off. Gone. Next year.

The Portrait Gallery

Yesterday was the day we finally got inside the National Portait Gallery. It was really quite terrific. Portraits were divided into groups by time periods,some specific category(entertainment) and a Presidential Area. There were also photos by some well known artists etc. Dana may share more about those areas. We drove to a Metro station and had quick trips in and out. That was enough for one day. Called Dick Grant this am. He said c'mon-up, so we drove up to Havre de Grace. He and Doreen watched as we drove by their home while listening to that Garmin Girl bark in my ear. We now call her the Garmin Bitch. At any rate, we pulled around in the cul-de-sac at the end of the road, and by the time we turned I was talking to Dick on the cell. He guided us in from there. Doreen's son Bob was there. He lives up in Blairstown,NJ, and was visiting for the hokiday and helping get a new computer up and running. Dick and Doreen are doing great and look great. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch with them and good conversation. Dick is busy bidding on new work and major renovations all over the place. Stopped and watched a little Masters. Saw Tiger bogey 17 & 18, but left before Applebee tripled 17. It looked like the wind was going to blow people off the greens. How about Oglivey taking 9 on 15 after an eagle on 13? It certainly seems to favor Tiger on a final 18 in more severe conditions. Like he said, "You can hit great shots and get hosed out there." The weather looks pretty much the same up and down the coast. Where we are, just south of Baltimore, it's cold, windy and gusty, just what they need in Augusta. Survival of the fittest. Froze my butt off cooking pork chops out on the grill, but they came out tasty. Enough. More than enough.

Had an easy ride over to Millerville Md., between Annapolis and Baltimore. It was only a couple of hours. We pulled into an outlet mall to kill some time and almost got into a tight spot in terms of getting out. Turning 50 feet around takes a little room. We reached the camp ground about 1:30. My cousin Rip stopped over as did our good friend Dick Gallant with his daughter Molly. They're all looking great. We all went out to eat somewhere near here, and on the way back stopped in Saverna Park at Dick & Sue's house. Sue was home and it was good to see her. They had recently completed an extensive addition on their home, which came out great. May take the Metro into DC today. It's Cherry blossom time, so things will be crowded. We hope to get in the recently opened National Portrait Gallery. We've tried to see it for the 4 years that Grant was at U Md, but each year they postponed the opening date one year until he graduated. I love looking at those old, dark pictures where everybody wears black and frowns. Later. ps-hopefully the photographic department gets cranked up soon.

Moving on

Tomorrow we pack up and leave Harrington Del, for Martinville, Md. Used the sewer dump valves for the first time. Was that stuff supposed to spray all over? It poured all day with occational t-storms mixed in. Took a ride to Rehobeth Beach. Building certainly looks active down here. Stopped for lunch at roadside barbq joint. Quite good, excellent cole slaw. Steve and Jill Pollard, our friends from Dover, Del, have passed the certifications to be judges at barbq events, and smoke and slow cook meat,fish,fowl and desserts. They filled us in on regional differences(Texan, Kansas City,Cinncinatti, and Southern style.) We are committed to becoming more knowlegable in this field and are actively looking for small, local establishments to help us further our understanding in this area. Masters week. One of the great sporting events of the year. Have to get tv situation rectified or ampliphied. A couple we met here have been rvers for 6 years, and never cut through the Appalachians between rt 80 and rt40. Anybody know anything about that? I figured on going straight through. He claims you can lose brakes and scare the heck out of everybody. Dana wants to attack the mountains, but I say "go around." Will keep you posted.

Good morning--our 4th day in adventure land--not much--very quiet--we met Henry and Elaine--and discovered a new sub-culture--the working/traveling people. They have been on the road for SIX YEARS!!!!! He is in the building trade?? and they follow the work and set up camp--not unusual to be in one spot for 2 years. They have already helped us, and nixed one of Bruce's routes over the mountains--thank goodness--I'm not ready for "scarey" going over the Appalachians--I need basic til we really get the feel of this.

We are very cozy in our rv--no tv yet, so Bruce missed all the National champ basketball games--can you imagine??

Not going to post all the time and bore everyone--oh, Bruce's head is ok--perhaps could have used stitches--but that wasn't an option on day 1.

Talk to you all soon------------------------------------------------------------Dana

Good morning--our 4th day in adventure land--not much--very quiet--we met Henry and Elaine--and discovered a new sub-culture--the working/traveling people. They have been on the road for SIX YEARS!!!!! He is in the building trade?? and they follow the work and set up camp--not unusual to be in one spot for 2 years. They have already helped us, and nixed one of Bruce's routes over the mountains--thank goodness--I'm not ready for "scarey" going over the Appalachians--I need basic til we really get the feel of this.

We are very cozy in our rv--no tv yet, so Bruce missed all the National champ basketball games--can you imagine??

Not going to post all the time and bore everyone--oh, Bruce's head is ok--perhaps could have used stitches--but that wasn't an option on day 1.

Talk to you all soon------------------------------------------------------------Dana

First night

We survived the first night in our rv. Furnace worked, hot water worked, refrig works a little. No reason to try ac yet. Cracked my head pretty hard standing up under one of the gd slide-outs. Bled nicely, dana doctored, no head ache this am. Went out to eat with Steve and Jill Pollard last night. They are old friends from Milton and live above Dover,Del, and are also rvers. They invited us to their home for dinner tonight to watch ncaa finals. Hopefully Rutgers girls won last night. C. Vivian has them playing d like they're possessed. Need to start getting our stuff better organized today.
should thro out lots. The ride down was peaceful and uneventful. After crossing Del Mem Bridge, we went down the coast on scenic rt. 9. Nobody lives around here, and traffic was very light. Getting thru small towns in a 50 foot rig will take some practice.Turns take a large radius, and if cars had been stacked up at intersections, we'd have wiped a few out. Hard to believe they allow people to drive something like this without a special license. Will stay here for 3 days or so and then move toward Annapolis or Severna Park, Md.
Thanks to everybody who stopped by, called or sent card before we left. Stay in touch.