Working hard while Bill parties!

June 7 – It’s nice to be in one spot for a few days!  Gives me some time to find homes for the rest of the things still in bags stuffed under the table and chairs! 

Once we had breakfast I put a load of laundry in and changed the bed.  Bill emptied the grey tank so he could get shower without water back up!  I made some chocolate chip walnut brownies so he could take some to his friends to go with their lunch today.  They were meeting at one if the guy’s house who was picking up some deli food so they didn’t have to deal with a restaurant.

Once Bill left I put in another load of laundry so I am caught up for now.  I organized and worked on a lot of the photos we have taken so far and printed our first “post cards” to try and mail tomorrow.  I had the pleasure of waiting on hold for 30 minutes for DISH and failed to resolve any of our issues.  I have a feeling our rooftop satellite is out of date and won’t pick up the satellite to get the rest of the channels.  Not really sure what direction to go next!

I removed the bathroom drain and cleaned it out – nasty!  Hope it drains better now.  I did up all the dishes.  I emptied another bag of food items and separated the read books from the unread books.  We now have a bag to trade with a used book store along the way. 

I read for a while until Bill called to ask what I wanted from Tony Packos for dinner.  He was only a short drive away and I enjoyed my Hungarian Chicken Paprika with dumplings.  He had a famous chili dog!

We watched a bit of TV then resorted to reading. 

Wonderful visit with Pam and Dave!

June 6 – Oddly we were both up pretty early this morning so we just chilled for a while. 

Squirrel on a telephone pole

After breakfast we sat at the table watching a squirrel climb to the top of an unused telephone pole.  It sat there for about 30 minutes.  It would turn around some and Bill thought it couldn’t get down.  We took some photos and Bill went out to watch him as he thought he was sitting up there and not able to get down!  What was he thinking?  By the time Bill circled around to the other side of the pole the squirrel came down and went up a huge oak tree!

Funny start to our day!  We showered and dressed and headed to Lima, where I lived in high school and the first year I was married.  The first person I met there was my neighbor across the street, Pam.  She and her 2 brothers were a year here and there apart from my older brother and I.  We all became friends, but Pam and I spent an endless number of hours in my room sitting on the floor talking and working Quija.  We could ask a question and then just talk like crazy while it spelled out the answers.  We both babysat, normally at the end of the street on Saturday nights across from each other.  We’d bring the kids outside and let them play while we chatted.  Our parents became good friends and our moms took golfing lessons together (because the Pro was “hot”), and they played cards together.  Those were some of the best memories of growing up.  Pam and I have kept in touch but not in person so today was very special to both of us.  Our husbands met and they seemed to enjoy talking about sports mostly and we enjoyed a 2 ½ hour lunch!  I think we will work on staying more in touch and visiting in Ohio, Florida and maybe somewhere in between!  Love you Pam!!

From Lima we headed to Whitehouse, OH where we set up camp for 3 nights so Bill can reunion with his high school buddies and a couple he taught with here and in Florida.  There are some places we love to visit as well and I know our 2 days will fly by.

Driving and Sights to be Seen

June 5 – We enjoyed a nice breakfast and there wasn’t much to do to get ready to leave,

just unhook the electric.  We went to the Hopewell Culture main Visitor Center which was supposed to have a large parking area for RV’s.  Not!  The building was closed but the Maintenance guy was very nice and went in and got us brochures for the 5 sites in and around Chillicothe.  He could not get me a stamp for the park as the person in charge was on the phone.  We walked out to the mound area, which is very impressive but due to all the rain last night it was pretty wet so we did not walk it.

Can see a lot of the mounds!

Not knowing the parking arrangements at the other locations, we decided to just get on the road to our next destination.  We hooked up the truck there and went on towards Springfield.

I had spoken to the principal of the Catholic high school in the same block as the Wescott House a few weeks ago and asked if we could park our RV in their lot to visit the house.  He was very nice and just asked us to call the day before.  Oops!  Bill called when we were about 2 hours out and they said it was fine.  We knew the house was not currently open to the public, again, due to the virus but I really wanted

Not impressive from the front

to see it.  It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1908.  Later it was turned into an apartment building.  Once discovered, it took 5 years to return it to it’s original décor and design.  I am so bummed that I could not go inside, but excited to see this beautiful prairie style home.

We needed the walk to and from the house and had our lunch in the parking lot before heading out on a wild goose chase!  We were headed to West Liberty, OH to our campground for the night.  The GPS must have gone wacky as Bill kept checking and we were not headed where we were

view from right side

supposed to be going, Twice!  Finally he called the campground and told them what road we were on and they told us what roads to take.  Yeaa!

The campground is pretty but they didn’t have the pull thru spot we were expecting and the spot we have is not level but we ended up with a full hookup.  There is no WIFI so I am

Sneaky peek into the back yead

struggling with Bill’s hotspot to get one day’s blog posted.  Will be nice to get to our next stop as it’s for 3 nights and we’ve been there several times so we know it’s a good place.

I cooked a full chicken dinner and we finished off the pie.  While we ate we watched what we think is a first time camping trip for a family in their new travel trailer.  He did a lot of backing in and out and then to level.  At one point he hooked back up.  We well remember those days.  I hope it’s a good experience for them, as it sure has it’s ups and down and isn’t for everyone but we do love it!

Time to try and get a day posted!

No tourist stop today 😖😖

June 4 - Today we were both up at a good hour!  We didn’t rush about but left by 9.  Our first mistake of the day was exiting the Walmart lot the way we came it.  It didn’t have a light and it was right turn only and we needed to go left!!  Luckily at the end of the lot was a light on the highway going into a shopping center and it was pretty empty so I turned around in the lot and got back on the highway in the right direction!  That’s the things that really wake me up and keeps me going!!

Not much but travel today.  We fueled up once and filled the DEF as well.   It took 3 gas cans to do so.  Unlike the diesel pumps being on both sides of the lanes, DEF is only on the left and our DEF tank is on the right.  Oh well, takes a bit longer but at least it was a slow time at the Flying J. 

We did have a couple of snafu’s today.  One, I got off the road and had to get back on and one, Bill sent me off at the wrong light.  As long as I have an empty parking lot, I’m good to go.

We had planned to visit Hopewell Culture Center in Chillicothe, Ohio once we got to the campground but since we had not had lunch by 2 we opted to just chill, relax and start there tomorrow.  They had RV parking at 3 of the 4 sites.  I made this reservation at the height of the virus and the lady said she couldn’t put me in the main campground due to the state lock down.  She said they had 4 new spaces near the playground totally away from the park that were pull thru with water and electric.  She took a credit card so we would not have any interaction when we arrived.  Well, it was a back in, so we had to unhook and it was electric only and we were low on water! 

We made the best choice to go there first since it started raining about 30 minutes after we arrived.  We had 3 good showers so it worked out well.   We were on water ration but managed ok.

We both read a lot and Bill did some mapping for tomorrow.  We head to Springfield, OH to see the Wescott House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, my favorite architect.  We do not expect it to be open as they are not answering the phone but I’m hoping to at least see it from the outside and get some pictures.

Bill took some photos today as we drove so it will be interesting to see what he got.

Driving Day....

June 3 -  Although we both overslept this morning we managed to leave the campground at 9:30.  We had scoped out places to hook up as I was not comfortable towing the truck back out on to the narrow road with curves.  Bill followed me into Cherokee and there was a closed business on the passenger side of the road with access to 2 exits, one a bit wider.  Bill agreed it should be fine and it was!  While we were hooking up the truck a young woman, maybe 20, walked up to us and addressed me.  There was a guy with a coffee off to the side.  She said she was diabetic and could I spare a few bucks as her insulin level was low.  I told her no cash but I could give her a piece of fruit.  She said she normally needs a soda or chocolate.  I told her we don’t have soda and asked if she wanted an apple or a pear.  She started saying how nice and beautiful our RV was and the guy just stayed back sipping his coffee.  She said pear and took it and left.  I’ve read many times not to give them money, offer food.

We had no problems today but it was a slow going day since we were in the mountains all day.  I was exhausted after the up and downs in the mountains and trucks all over.  You can’t use cruise control enough to make it worth while.  At least it didn’t rain!

When we arrived at Walmart in Richmond, KY I was so ready to stop.  They ask you to park out by the gas station and there was plenty of space but not so level.  We were hoping the tractor in front of us would leave and we could pull forward to level out a bit better but that didn’t happen.

I roasted baby potatoes for dinner and steamed a zuchinni and warmed up a burger for Bill and piece of chicken for me.  We had raspberry jello pie for dessert.  The fridge is beginning to have a little more open space in it!  I still have 2 bags of dry goods to find space for or use up.

We had to fuel up today and a couple of the Pilot Stations don’t handle trucks so once we found one to get diesel from, they only had back in spaces and it was past lunch time.  I saw a huge lot across the road with a lot of FedEx trucks and some tractors so we went over and took a spot with plenty of space between us.  While we were eating a jerko truck driver backed in beside us and I’m pretty sure I could not open the door.  Bill warned me to be extra careful as we had to circle all the way around to get out of the lot because I couldn’t turn right in front of him.

   

No internet tonight so no posting.  At least I’m getting the hang of it!  I finished off a bottle of wine and could have worked on another!  I did put a new one in to chill for tomorrow.

Fun day in Cherokee

June 2 – It was 57 when I woke up and it was supposed to be 82 today.  We had a bit of a leisurely morning.  I put another load of laundry in while we had breakfast and I had my coffee.  Then it was time to shower and get ready to venture out.

On the way down the mountain from the campground there is a small parking area for the

Heading up

hike up to Mingo Falls.  I wasn’t so sure how I would do but we made the attempt.  I stopped frequently on the way up as steps are no longer my friend.  I’d go up 3 times with my right leg and then 3 times with my left.  Bill counted and said it was 154 steps.  They are quite irregular in depths and there is a rail most of the way.  However, we were wearing out masks (Kam will be proud of us) and I managed to not touch the rails going in either direction!

The falls are tall and narrow but quite lovely!  There’s a 15 foot or

Mingo Falls

so walkway for getting photos and I took my share.  There appeared to be a steady flow in both directions.  Going down I only stopped once but took my time.  Very nice stop and we had not been here on our previous trips.

A few of the elk were out this morning when we went by.  I was on a mission to get photos of all of the bears in town.  Bill diligently

Big guy ignoring us

drove me and I think I got them all.  The town is rather small and they are primarily in the tourist area.  We’ve seen many other animals in tourist towns and the creativity in the paint jobs can be rather amazing.

We visited a few of the “gift” shops and quite a lot were not open and there was plenty of parking. We’re sure that is all due to Covid19.  The weekends must be the heavy traffic times right now.  I bought a wind chime for my front porch but not much else.

We went to the drive thru at Wendy’s for lunch and took it to the city park where we parked and walked over the bridge to the center which is sided by 2 small rivers.  There were quite

Lunch in the park

a lot of locals and tourists playing in and along the banks.  It was a nice spot for lunch and Bill made friends with a tiny bird that he fed some cheese.

After we cleaned up our lunch we took a short drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway for the

View from the Parkway

beautiful scenery along the way.  We went through 2 tunnels (twice) and traffic was extremely low.  I took a lot of photos.

We exited off the parkway and into Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  Immediately you are at the Visitor and Interpretive Center and there were lots of cars.  We donned our masks (again we were in the minority) and first went to the restrooms.  This was my first public restroom since the start of Covid19 and I really thought it through carefully!  I used a piece of TP to lock the door, another piece doused with hand sanitizer to wipe the seat.  Did my business and used another piece to open the door and washed my hands really good and used another piece to open the exit door!  No one else seemed to care at all!  Then I sanitized my hands.

Mingus Mill

The bummer was the Visitor Center was closed but the Interpretive Center is a large outdoor village in the back of the land and you could walk it.  We have done that before and so we passed on it. Just up the road is Mingus Mill so we went there.  Normally it is a very interesting stop but the mill building was not open so we walked the grounds and discussed our previous visits.  We felt bad for those who were there for the first time and unable to enjoy and learn about the area.

We had planned to go to Sylva to Walmart since we knew they will let us in so we left and headed that way.  They had a lot of cars in the lot and we definitely wore our masks.  Bill went one direction to get things he wanted and I went to the pharmacy area then we met up and I gave him the deli area and I did produce.  I walked down the meat aisle to get some sausage and there was NO ground meat, beef or

bison.  Actually there was pretty little beef at all.  But they had a LOT of chicken feet!  I love chicken feet.  When my grandparents butchered chickens we got to have the feet and my mom would cook

them up for us.  I bet a lot of my readers are cringing at the thought, but don’t knock if you haven’t tried it!

On the way out of Sylva I spotted a McDonald’s and was in the mood for a Mocha Frappe.  We each got one and it lasted most of the way home.  Actually we were both full well past dinner time.  I didn’t have to cook, I just had 2 big slices of cantaloupe and Bill had his leftover pasta from last night we we were good to go!

I worked on my blog and think I have it 80% figured out.  Each post is looking better!  I also discovered I sent out the wrong blog link (oops) but hope I re-sent to everyone! 

Tomorrow we head further north but have really enjoyed the cooler weather and the scarcity of so many tourist.  I know it’s not good for the businesses but it’s been great for us.

Travel is always an adventure!

June 1 – I was up by 7 and Bill was up about 8 so we left at 9 this morning.  Once we got to the main road we were ¼ mile to get back on I-75.  It was a little slower going today since we were no longer on interstates.  A lot of the roads were 4 lanes but through a lot of small towns along the way.  We did manage to avoid Atlanta and the drive was very nice.  There were a lot of small towns along the way and really not much traffic until we were close to Cherokee, our final destination for the day.

The passenger side mirror twisted and turned at the first breeze that hit it so I was blind on my right side unless I put the turn indicator on so the lane would appear via the side cameras.  Since it wasn’t the interstate there were no rest areas.  We drove until one when we came into town and spotted a shopping center with a big store closed and lots of parking.  It worked out well as the next entrance/exit was back on the road going the direction we were headed.  As soon as we had lunch Bill got out the duct tape and we taped the daylight out of the mirror.  It may not be exactly right but that booger won’t move now!  It actually is so much better.  Another item to be repaired.

Campground Greeter

The closer we got to Cherokee the more up and down the roads were.  Had to use the engine brake a few times.  We arrived at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park around 3.  Don’t bring your RV here!  It is 7 miles up the mountains from town on a VERY narrow curvy road.  Fine for a car, but not so much for a motorhome towing a truck.  The campground is along a river but it’s a bit run down.  We did get a huge pull thru space with a full hook up!  It was also a passport America so it was half price.  Once we got here there were a number of campgrounds that didn’t show up in my search!

I put our first load of laundry in and once it went in the dryer we drove down to the Harrah’s Cherokee Casino for dinner at the Brio Tuscan Grille.  Upon arriving to park, you are stopped, have your temperature taken and given a mask if you don’t have one.  You are given a mandatory colored paper bracelet you must have on to get in.  Every employee is masked and the restaurants are like at home with much less capacity.  There’s also lots of security to make sure you are masked or get escorted out.

You can take it off at the dinner table but back on before you leave the table.  Our meal was

Kelly's dinner

awesome!  We each had the Wedge Salad and they were huge with lots of toppings.  Then Bill ordered Fettuccini Alfredo with grilled chicken and I had Pasta Alla Vodka.  The pasta was stuffed with ricotta and there was a light tomato cream sauce with pancetta!  I ate every bite and was too full for any dessert (even ice cream).  Since they served a nice portion of heavy Italian bread Bill didn’t finish his pasta so he’s good for a lunch!

Bill and I signed up for casino cards but since I had my camera they would not allow Bill to carry it in and he really doesn’t like gambling anyway.  So I went down and scoped things out.  They had normally 2 machines turned off between lit ones.  I found the Wheel of Fortune machines and was sitting between 2 ladies and one hit 3 times to spin

One area of the casino

the wheel and the other lady hit 4.  On her 4^th one the wheel stopped on giving her 60 more wheel spins and she ended up with 1,879 quarters!  What a lucky duck!  Her husband went out for a smoke and missed it.  I donated $30 and called it a night!

We attempted to go to Food Lion for some lunch ham but you could only go in if you are a resident or native American.  So I stopped and took some photos of the various bears around town on our way home.

We stopped on the way back to photo the elk grazing along the road.  There were only 3 on the way back but when we drove in to town there were 6-8.  They have a sign warning you to

be watchful of the elk.

I’ve been struggling for several days trying to get my blog posted.  They have changed the format and it doesn’t work very well.  Oh well!  

I went to put my laundry away and discovered the 2 lights above our dress no long work.  I tried new bulbs in them but no luck.  The fuse was fine, so another item on the list!