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High Tech-Low Tech

3/31/2018

We, in our society, are used to having instant communication at our fingertips at all times. Sometimes that's a bad or at least annoying thing. I interrupt a task or conversation to answer a telemarketer's call. An email notification ping disrupts my concentration on an important news article or even trying to find a murderer in my current work-in-progress. But when I want it, I don't have it. Yesterday, we traveled southwest in Alabama from Lake Guntersville to Lake Lurleen near Tuscaloosa for one reason--our twenty-year-old middle granddaughter lives and works here.

This was kind of a last minute plan so I had contacted her by phone on Thursday to confirm that she would be around this weekend. She replied that she would be, but was working until 6:00 on Friday and then in class until 8:30. She also had commitments Satuday night and Sunday morning, but would be able to join us for breakfast on Saturday. My mistake was in not finalizing that plan while we still had contact. On the way down, I tried to text her but had no service. It always surprises me how much of Alabama is forest and hills. We briefly made contact when we stopped in Tuscaloosa for groceries, but not long enough to discover the meeting place she had in mind. We got to the park and once again no cell service and no wifi connection. So after we set up, we drove back into town until we had service and were able to establish our breakfast plans. If we didn't have all of this great communication, we would have planned ahead.

Our setup here was not without some do-overs. The site they assigned us had serious leveling issues--about six inches off from side to side with some broken asphalt that made using our levelers impossible. Side note--we used to carry a couple of low-tech boards that would have worked in this case, before we got a set of devices especially for that purpose that didn't work. So back through the campground, across the bridge to the check-in to get another site. Luckily, a lakeside site had been vacated and we were able to grab it. Still leveling problems but no broken pavement.

In true all's-well-that-ends-well fashion, we were able to grill some burgers and, along with asparagus and coleslaw, enjoy a meal outside overlooking the lake in perfect weather--our first time eating outside on this trip. Early this morning, the full moon made a beautiful pattern on the lake. Today is forecast sunny and beautiful, high of 74. Of course, it would be sunny for us anyway with our special breakfast plans.

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Time for L & L

3/29/2018

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That would be Laundry and Laziness. We are at Lake Guntersville State Park in Alabama for two nights. It was not easy getting here yesterday. The first rule to know is that there are no direct routes from North Georgia to North Alabama. Because of the mountains, everything angles. So we made a couple of wrong turns, wound up and down, and when we finally arrived, things didn't get much simpler.

The campground is huge--over 300 sites. I think it has a higher population than Blairsville, Georgia--our last stop. We had called ahead and they had plenty of space so we didn't reserve a spot. At the checkin, they assigned us a site. We missed the turn and when we finally found the spot, it was short, quite unlevel, and the fire ring would have been under our slide. In addition, there was a large transformer and no picnic table in our small space. The next one was empty and much better so we went back and asked about it. It was only available one night, but the nice lady gave us another possibility and her cell phone number if we wanted to check out any others. We finally got one, but still not very level and no fire ring. But since a monsoon is forecast for later today, that probably doesn't matter.

By the time we got set up, it was getting late. I wimped out of cooking and we went up to the Lodge WAY on top of the hill for supper. This is a resort park and the lodge is a wonderful building with pool, rooms, saunas and other facilities. The meal was excellent too. The views of the Tennessee River from the huge deck in back are great.

Today will be time to kick back, do a little laundry, and a lot of reading and writing. The campgrounds have all been pretty full with lots of kids--spring break. Because of the forecast, supper will be some soup in the crockpot. Tomorrow we will head to Tuscaloosa for a visit with granddaughter Jessi and then turn toward home.

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A Special Visit

3/28/2018

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Our four days at Vogel State Park had a dearth of internet and TV but were compensated by some excellent attractions. The John C. Campbell Folk School is just an hour north of here over the North Carolina border in a beautiful mountain setting. They offer classes year round in Appalachian crafts and music, including pottery, knitting, black smithing and even kalaidescope making. The visitor's center, dining hall and gift shop, pictured here is surrounded by native plants.

A road leading off to the west gives access to studios for woodworking, pottery, quilting and fabric arts, and black smithing among others. In the other direction are buildings for book arts, woodturning, and painting. Interspersed is housing for students in diverse styles and a campground. Cooking classes include a variety if international flavors from rustic Italian to Korean, bread making, cooking with herbs, cast iron cooking and so on. Enameling? Rug making? Nature studies? Soap making? It's all here. Rand McNally calls the school one of the top 30 destinations in the US.

We timed our visit poorly and were there over the noon meal, so work was not going on in the studios. We returned to Georgia, had coffee at the Coffee Cabin in Blairsville (right on that tricky roundabout) and were back at the campground in time to hike around the lake and view Trahlyta Waterfall.

Finally, we ended the day with a campfire and grilled turkey tenderloins, the first time on this trip that the weather has been amenable for such activities. Today we head west to Lake Guntersville in Alabama.

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The Lucy Has Landed

3/26/2018

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For the next four days, our trailer, Lucy the Gray Ghost, can take a rest from being hurtled from side to side and into the air. She has a lovely pull-through spot overlooking woods and a creek at Vogel State Park in Georgia. Vogel was one of the first two state parks in Georgia and is nestled in a long, narrow valley at the the foot of Blood Mountain in the middle of the Chattahoochee National Forest. This was Cherokee land, and legend has it that they buried their gold in a cave atop Blood Mountain before Andrew Jackson's illegal removal order in what resulted in the Trail of Tears. Of course, the treasure has been much searched for over the years.

Our campsite is large, level, and overlooks a ravine with a beautiful little creek running through it. The 'Possom Hollow Ampitheater' --an arrangement of benches sits on the bank of the creek.

Sunday, we visited my sister's recently purchased acreage atop a ridge between Blairsville and Blue Ridge just north of us. They moved in a trailer as a temporary residence and have been busy building a fence enclosing several raised garden beds and clearing brush. They plan to build a small house on the property this year. The site is beautiful and the narrow, winding, steep road leading to it means they don't have to worry about semi traffic.

Yesterday we drove to the interesting town of Blue Ridge--population about 1500, but the site of numerous shops, restaurants, and big chain stores because of the huge number of vacation cabins in the surrounding area. We had a great lunch at the Fightingtavern, and especially enjoyed The Bear Store and a shop specializing in wood and rock creations, especially furniture. The table pictured has a top made of petrified wood.

Today we will meet my sister for breakfast in the tiny town of Blairsville (population 562) eleven miles north of the park. In spite of its size, it is the county seat, and the historic courthouse is surrounded by a roundabout that has befuddled us several times. Then we will travel north just across the North Carolina border to visit the John C. Campbell Folk School situated on 300 acres. It was established in 1925, based on the Danish folk school model, and teaches classes year round in everything from broom making and blacksmithing to writing and woodworking in an effort to preserve southern Appalachian crafts and culture.

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Fake News--Circa 1800s

3/24/2018

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We spent the night at Old Stone Fort State Park in Tennessee, which we had never heard of before this trip. It was established in 1966 around the location of a Native American structure that dates back at least 1500, and possibly 2000, years. Stone walls, now covered with dirt and grass and appearing as mounds, encircle a huge area on top of a high peninsula overlooking the Duck River and the Little Duck River. The changes in elevation create beautiful waterfalls on both rivers.

In the way of things, the first European settlers who came across these mounds assumed that the Indians could not possibly have built them. Throughout the nineteen century, they gave credit to, at various times, Spanish explorers who wandered up from Florida, Vikings who wandered down from Massachusetts, or even Welsh adventurers. Not until the 1960s did excavations reveal prehistoric artifacts to identify the true builders. The 800 foot-long walls enclose a large area now believed to have been built by Woodland tribes for ceremonial purposes, rather than military. The area is too large to have been defended and no military artifacts have been found. In addition the two smaller mounds that form the entrance on the east line up within one degree of the summer solstice.

There is also a small museum and visitor center at the entrance to the fort-which-wasn't-a-fort. My favorite tee shirt on sale in the gift shop said "May the forest be with you."

Our trip here from Nashville was not quite as smooth as the previous two days. The many bridges on the bypass seemed to be a foot or so above the road level, resulting in huge jolts at each end of every bridge. Maybe not quite a foot, but a very uncomfortable ride. Then, when we reached I-24 to head southeast, we hit a huge backup---we never found out why. We stopped at a gas station to pick up a road map and find a better route but road maps are something gas stations don't seem to carry much any more. We detoured through Murfeesboro to pick up Highway 41 and met the longest string of traffic we've ever seen. When we arrived at the campground, our site had a couple of trees located in such a way to require several attempts to get parked.

We have had no TV reception the last two stops, so are rewatching Season 3 of Downton Abbey. Today we will head for north Georgia and Vogel State Park, where we will stay for four nights and relax a little more.

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So Far, So Good...

3/23/2018

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And neither of us is sick.Things have been going so well on this second version of our spring trip that we are becoming a little nervous. We have had two sunny days of driving with a tailwind and everything works on the camper! And neither of us is sick.

We are camped at Montgomery Bell State Park just west of Nashville. We were here a couple of years ago. It's a lovely park and the campground is quite full.

On a walk before supper last night, we spotted one of the new Airstream Basecamps. It looks like a chariot for Buck Rogers, and the owners, a nice couple from Chicago gave us a tour of this 16-foot wonder. Amazing use of space.

This morning we will take our time packing up because we are meeting an old friend from Nashville for lunch at the Perfect Pig in White Bluff. Tennessee must have more unique names for barbecue joints than any other state. Then we will continue on a few hours to Old Stone Fort Archaeological State Park--one we haven't been to before. The park is the site of an 800 foot wall built between 1500 and 2000 years ago--should be an interesting place. There are also several waterfalls. A little light rain is forecast there overnight, but tomorrow morning should be dry enough to pack up and get on our way again.

Only thing is, it's hard to hook up the camper with your fingers crossed.

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Plan B

3/14/2018

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Two weeks ago we collapsed our planned spring trip from four weeks to nine days and returned home. Our travel trailer, purchased new two years ago, had developed slide trouble and repairs on the road didn't seem forthcoming. Besides, my driver/houseboy was dealing with a nasty cold that turned out to be a virus.

So we sent him to the doctor and the camper back to the dealer. The first task was easier; the second required emptying the refrigerator and anything in the cabinets that might freeze if the repairs and spring took a while. Fortunately, the dealer had the needed part on hand and we are now back in business. We hope.

We have decided to eek out another trip before commitments in late April and May. After a follow up doctor appointment next week, we will head southeast--our target: my sister and brother-in-law's new acreage in North Georgia. Itinerary is still tentative, and of course the weather at this time of year is even more so.

The trailer is becoming a love/hate relationship. After ten years and many trips with an used trailer that gave us very little trouble, we opted for a similar sized new one with some amenities we wanted on our longer trips. We love the layout, which allows for two comfortable chairs, more counter space, and storage. The bigger holding tanks, built in space heater, power awning and thermal package have been great. But the repairs, ranging from small things like tempermental drawer latches to large issues--the slide, a leaky window, a torn awning--have been definitely a wet blanket.

Meanwhile, our unexpected sojourn at our home base allowed for several meetings and volunteer projects, a birthday celebration, final holiday decoration removal, and some writing. Yesterday I reached 20,000 words on my new book!

So, stay tuned. If at first, you don't succeed...

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High Tech-Low Tech

Time for L & L

A Special Visit

The Lucy Has Landed

Fake News--Circa 1800s

So Far, So Good...

Plan B

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