April 16--Kingston to Home

Well, I guess it's time to go home. We roared up I-75 like someone was chasing us. For once in our lives we actually got through Louisville before the PM rush hour, and no potholes. We'll be able to enjoy two or three Spring's this year since its just now getting nice up here in the good ol' Hoosier state. Part of me is ready to be home, but another part is asking why. I think for our first extended trip we did well. The only real nasty travel day was the first.
We ended up with a total truck mileage of 3,000 miles which is about 500 more than I expected. But we took a few side trips without the trailer. I purposely didn't keep track of how much we spent on fuel or other items. This was the one trip where I just wanted to enjoy it. Tomorrow we'll start to unpack the trailer. We'll take special note of items packed but not used on the trip. Next time we won't take them. What's next? We would like to re-visit some of our Indiana state parks. We love being able to camp during the week instead of the busy weekends. In mid-May we want to attend our first Tin Can Tourist rally up in Michigan. I want to see all the other vintage campers and see what their owners are like. They are probably nut's like us. Then in July we're going to Colorado and hopefully hook up with John for some fun. In October we'll head to AZ for the birth of Amy and Jim's baby. Haven't decided on whether we'll take the trailer with us on that trip or later in the year. It sure was a great trip. We both felt that The South has to be the most beautiful spot in the US during the spring season. We might have run into warmer weather if we had started about a week later, but that would have prevented us from leaving Tipper in the truck during some of our side trips. We ran into two people who loved our old Avion. We even gave them tours, at their request. I'm sure the other 99% just thought we were poor or odd or both. I loved pulling into a campground and seeing that most of the RV's were huge motorhomes or 5th wheels. Those people never used the showers or toilets in the bathhouse. Must be a status thing. We saw very few class C units in the campgrounds or on the road. Don't know why. We got very lucky regarding RV parks. The only one that we really didn't like was the one in Canton, MS. It was the one that advertised wi fi but didn't have it, had punch pads on the laundry and bathroom doors and didn't tell you the combination, and the permanent campers were just a wee bit scary. I was a bit concerned about finding a place to stay each night, but we never had a problem. However, we always started looking at the directory about noon and were off the road by 3:00 PM. I am amazed at Betsy's cooking skill and the variety of meals that she prepared using the stove or oven in the camper or the grill that we carried with us. I think we had more variety on the road than at home. The seafood at Edisto was fantastic. Tipper was a trooper all during the trip. At first he would climb up on the center armrest and pretty much stay there. Then he would start out on the armrest, but after a few minutes would go curl up in his backseat bed, but everytime he heard the turn signal he would come back to the front seat. At the end he didn't bother coming up whenever I turned the turn signal on. We think he became a little road weary as indicated by the final picture. So I guess it's back to everyday normal life. Tomorrow I'll pick up a months worth of mail, and start the yearly campaign to stamp out chickweed. Jamie
We made it back home with lots of wonderful memories and the thrill of our first successful trip. We both knew we wanted to travel however, we were unsure if we would take to the "traveling life." The adventure of a new place every day was great. I had a ball taking pictures and am now looking at digital scrapbooking. That may prove to be too much of a challenge, we'll see. In the end we did find you can get everything you need at Walmart! We are both looking forward to the next trip. Betsy

April 15--Salisbury to Kingston, TN

The sun has returned and we're off to Jane and Sandy's for a visit. A couple years ago they sold the old house that they lived in for years and moved into a newer home. We saw the newer home just before they purchased it, but not since they redecorated. To get to Kingston we went around Asheville, NC and stopped at the NC Arts and Crafts Center which is located on the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway. Betsy went in to look at the stuff while Tipper and I waited outside. I started reading about the Parkway and learned that it's very much like The Trace--50 mph speed limit, no commercial traffic. It goes from the Great Smokey Mountain Park to Roanoke, VA. It was constructed as part of the 30's work programs. Could be another trip for us next year.
After our brief stop we got back on I-40 and headed to Knoxville and that took us through the mountains. Our little rig did just great. We finally found the mother load of Redbud trees. They are all along I-40 around Knoxville. Beautiful. We arrived in Kingston and parked the truck and trailer in Sandy's law office parking lot since their driveway was not big enough. Their new house is way up on a hill overlooking the town of Kingston and the Clinch River. Wow. What a view. I could sit up here all day and watch the river and the mountains off in the distance.

April 14--Raleigh to Salisbury

Alas, our time with Jeff, Lisa, and James has come to an end. We're headed to Salisbury, NC and Rowan County which is where my Rev War ancestor lived. We only found two campgrounds listed in our directory and selected Dan Nichols Park. I think we assumed that it was a state park, but it's actually a county park and absolutely amazing. It has a small lake, petting zoo, tennis courts, baseball/softball fields, plus all the other stuff like nature trails. There were only about 3 other campers in the campgrounds so we had our pick of the sites. We chose one down by the lake.
After unhooking the trailer we headed into Salisbury to find the library. I spent the next three hours in the genealogy section while Betsy roamed the town. The first thing I learned at the library was that the part of Rowan County that my ancestor lived in was split off into Davidson County. Luckily they still had a lot of records for Davidson Country. I didn't find much of anything new on the Rev War ancestor, probably because he was only there for 30 or 40 years and all his children moved south or west.
However I did find that his son, my great-great-great grandfather Jeremiah married into the elite of Quaker families, the Mendenhalls. That probably accounts for my easy going, kind and gentle, likable personality.
When Betsy and I met up she was just raving about how much she enjoyed her walk through town so we drove around and
it really was a neat place. Many old homes with a nice downtown area. It sort of reminded us of Columbus but older. jamie

I had a ball shopping knowing no one was waiting for me to finish looking at everything. Met a wonderful old man whose family owned the Okey Dokey General Store for the past 110 years. He said not much had changed in the store in all those years and I tend to agree with him. They had collectables, twine, toys, seeds, seed onions and potatoes and metal garden benches and art. An awesome collection! Salsisbury is a wonderful old town. Betsy
Picture The lake at Dan Nichols Park