the end of the road

It was hard to get up this morning because it was so comfortable sleeping. It was time to make breakfast with whatever we had left in the cooler. We cooked up the last of the Nathan’s hot dogs and mixed them in the scrambled eggs, brewed a pot of coffee, toasted some bread on the gas grill, and poured a glass of orange juice. It was a meal fit for a king.

Today we headed home via Table Rock Lake, MO. It was another day of winding around roads (I almost got car sick) and forcing the car to make it up steep elevations. We arrived at Table Rock around 1 p.m.—just in time for lunch. I had prepared tuna before we packed up camp, so we devoured that with crackers, finished the milk, last apple, and the praline candy we bought in Charleston which got soaked in the cooler (it was meant as a gift, but was too disgusting to present to anyone.)

As we were picnicking, we noticed a great bike trail around part of the lake. Well, it was our last day and we needed to get our legs moving after riding in a car for so long. Even though it was in the 90s with high humidity, the ride was what we needed. It was about 5 miles and wound around a small part of the lake. We loaded them up again and headed for Branson (only a few miles away.)

We only drove through this crazy town. Neither of us have been there and felt that just looking at all the Vegas-like signs and buildings, we got the gist of the city. That’s all we needed. Now it was time to haul our cargo home to Topeka. We arrived home around 8 p.m.

I think the part I enjoy most about camping is the challenge of being organized in chaos and being ready for anything. Neither Chris nor I feel like we are ready to be back in our own beds. We are really enjoying this trip together. Sure, there’s lots of laundry to do and unpacking the tent again to make sure it is all dried out, but we have seen a lot of country in these 2,800 miles. I think next time we do a big road trip we will head to the Northwest--I hear they have lots of rain there too!

always room for one more at the table

Our journey is drawing to a close, but not without more adventure. We drove nine hours today...through Birmingham AL, Tupelo MS, Memphis TN and numerous little towns during our last couple hours on 2-lane roads. The landscape changed from hilly to flat to very hilly. We ended our day at Blanchard Springs Caverns campground in north central Arkansas.

Once again we found this place by Googling and once again it didn’t disappoint. It’s managed by the National Forest Service so it was rustic yet well designed. Each campsite was remote enough to feel like we had the place to ourselves but there were clean restrooms and running water within a short walk . We got in right at dusk but we are really good at setting up quickly. While Chris set up the tent and unloaded the equipment, I started supper.

We ate a “traditional” camp meal—spaghetti! It’s actually a simple meal and easy to clean up. This time we had some guests join us. Chris suddenly stopped and told me not to move. About 10 feet away, heading toward us was a little skunk. He must have heard it was Italian night. Then after supper, I was doing the dishes and Chris had gone to the restroom. I thought it was him coming back, making a lot of rustling noise, when I looked over at the trash bag we had hanging on the clothes line. There was a large raccoon reaching into it. With a little shriek and a “get away from that,” he scurried off, only to revisit us later as we were in our tent playing cards. We watched him try to get into my camping supplies in a large Rubbermaid container (the food supplies were in the car). He raised the lid and started rummaging when we yelled out. It was his last chance to grab something, so he snatched a bag of paper cups. I don’t know what he was going to do with that, unless he was having a keg party or something! We put everything back in the car and went to bed.

Even though it was pretty humid, we slept so soundly until the thunderstorm rolled through in the middle of the night. Not much rain, just a nice reminder of being in the great outdoors.

a long day's journey into night

The crows (I think they are following us) woke us up early, so we got up for breakfast. Since the weather was perfect (finally no rain), we could enjoy a leisurely breakfast of pancakes and eggs under the towering pines. The squirrels stayed close, but didn’t beg.

When we drove to the campground yesterday, our little 4-cylender Hyundai struggled with some of the steep climbs. We mentioned that this would be a tough ride on the bikes. Well, we really wanted to get some more riding in, so we ventured on a short ride from the campground to the hotel and back. It was only 3 miles, but one of the toughest climbs we’ve encountered. One stretch was ¾ of a mile with a 5 percent grade. We both made it (I wasn’t going to give up) and so did our lungs! It was a great ride, through beautiful scenery.

Packing up in dry weather is a lot faster so we were on the road in good time for a very long drive today to the town of Fifty-Six, Ark., in the Ozark National Forest. I think we will put on almost 500 miles. This will be our last night of camping—I wish we had another day!

southern hospitality

So far this trip has not disappointed. After leaving Charleston, we headed south to Savannah, Ga. This is one place neither of us have ever been to and is considered one of the 10 cities in America that should be visited...so we did.

Not knowing where to begin with only three hours to spend, we went to the Visitors’ Center. There on the bulletin board, almost unnoticeable, was a photo-copied map that showed a bike route around 15 of the 22 “Squares” that Savannah is built around. Each Square is like a beautiful little park, some with monuments, some with fountains, but all with huge trees draped in hanging moss. Around each Square are amazing southern homes, enormous churches and quaint shops. We also rode through Forsyth Park that looks like something out of “Gone with the Wind” or “Forrest Gump.”

This was the best way to see the heart of the city in a very short time.
We parked our bikes near the City Market area and enjoyed wings and beer at “Wild Wings Café” (not to be confused with Buffalo Wild Wings.) We had just enough time to wander through a few shops in the market, loading up on souvenirs for friends and family back home. Back on our bikes we completed the loop ending back at the Visitors’ Center where our car was parked. The city of Savannah did not disappoint us—we liked it as well, if not better, than Charleston because of its quaintness, charm and simplicity. We will go back someday.

Then it was back on the road for a 5-hour drive to Cheaha State Park in the Talladega National Forest, Alabama. We found this camp site by just Googling for an area somewhere an hour west of Atlanta. This has to be one of Alabama’s best kept secrets. What a great place to enjoy the great outdoors. Besides great camping for all kinds of campers, there is a hotel, restaurant and store all on the top of Cheaha Mountain—Alabama’s highest point (2,407 feet). The view was almost like the Smokies and since it isn’t well known, it was so peaceful.

We set up camp and enjoyed a great Nathan’s Hot Dog meal, campfire and Jiffy Pop. The deer and squirrels kept a watchful eye on us, but other than that it was like we had the place to ourselves. If you are ever in northeastern Alabama, it’s worth the winding drive to this area.

chucktown rocks

We packed up...again (at least we didn't have camping equipment this time) and made our way south to Charleston. The heavy clouds began to break up by the time we rolled into town turning into a glorious day.

We found our B&B, but we couldn't check in until 5 p.m., so we had four hours to get on our bikes and ride around the downtown Charleston area. What a great way to see a lot of area in a short amount of time. We rode all along the Charleston Harbor, enjoying the view on all sides (water on one, amazing southern homes on the other). We then found a place to park our bikes and walked all along the outside and inside of Market Street. If you haven't been there, it's a five block long street with open-air buildings that once were the site slaves were sold, but now house hundreds of vendors inside, and many quaint shops, art galleries and restaurants outside. It's an amazing site. We enjoyed poking our heads into many little shops and galleries, but then felt the need to get back on our bikes and see more of the area.

It was getting close to 5:00 and time to see the Ashley Inn Bed & Breakfast. The Innkeeper was waiting and showed us around the 6-bedroom southern home. Our room is lovely with direct access to the second-floor veranda. We enjoyed wine and snacks as we decided where to eat seafood. We chose the Charleston Crab House. It was a good choice.

We sat out on the rooftop and shared crab cakes then broiled mahi mahi, shrimp and sea scallops, finally ending with key lime pie. Everything was fabulous!

We continued walking around the area, then drove even farther out before returning to our B&B to play a couple games of cribbage and "Rebecca's Rummy" on the veranda. Breakfast tomorrow is served at 8:00, so it's a good night's sleep before heading to Savannah.

roasting the fatted pig

Patrick Meyer graduated from West Florence High School today. He looked less than thrilled to sit through the commencement of almost 400 graduates, but it went very fast. He was in the top 15% of his class and is heading off to the College of Charleston to major in biology this fall. He hopes to someday be an orthopedic surgeon--but who knows.

Then it was time for all of us (Laurie's family and the Meyer clan) to prepare for the grand festivities this evening. A friend of Laurie's gave, as a graduation gift, a pig that he barbecued all day. It was served Carolina style, after it was done, he flipped the split hog over and pulled the pork away from the skin. Then he poured gallons of their style of sauce--a vinegar based sauce that was fabulous. We just grabbed a fork and pulled off from the pig, all the pork we wanted. Mouthwatering!

Beside pork, there was so much food and drink. It was a grand event. Lots and lots of neighbors and friends of Patrick's came. To keep all the children busy, they had a 25 foot tall inflatable slide in their front yard. Patrick works for the business that rents them, so he got it for free. Chris tried it too and has war wounds to prove it.

The sky cleared this night for the first time since we left Topeka. This was a night we should have been camping, but we retired to our motel room and will leave for Charleston tomorrow.

living like a king

On Friday, we got to see how one of the wealthiest families in our nation's history lived. After packing up our soggy tent and belongings at the cozy, little campground near Ashville (we are getting the packing down to about an hour now), we wound our way through the beautiful tree saturated mountains to Biltmore Estates.

If you've been to Europe and seen some of the gothic-style architecture, this was America's closest thing to a royal palace. Instead of describing it to you, check out their Web site: www.biltmore.com. It was a fabulous day. Not only the tour of the enormous mansion, but the gardens and grounds were breathtaking. Take 140 Central Parks, and you get the size of the Vanderbilt's property in the mountains. The designer of Central Park was the designer of these grounds. We wanted to ride our bikes around the area on their great trails, but we ran out of time. It was on to Florence to see the Meyers for Patrick's high school graduation on Saturday.

We arrived in Florence at the best time--meal time! Cevyn and Laurie treated the crowd (I think there were 14 of us) to genuine Southern hospitality with a shrimp (and more) boil. Outside they filled huge pots with boiling seasoned water and filled them with potatoes, polish sausage, corn on the cob, and shrimp. Then poured the cooked pile of food onto a foil-covered table. We just grabbed what we wanted and ate to fullness. It was wonderful.

As we sat out in Cevyn's "man cave" (screened porch), we listened to the rain again. It was great to catch up with everyone. Laurie's family was busy in the kitchen and I knew I would bog down the well-oiled machine, so I played "Mary" and just listened and socialized.

We are in a motel for the next couple of nights, so no unpacking in the rain. As much as I love the outdoors, I am looking forward to a bathroom 15 feet away.

rain, rain, go away...

The best part about camping, for Chris and me, is the breakfast. I love all the camping gadgets and organizing it all. This morning, we decided to have pancakes, eggs and juice/coffee. Chris fired up the old campstove and I mixed up the batter. He also got to try out his new percolator coffee pot. What a great way to start the day. The rain finally let up, but the high trees above us showered their wet leaves as a light wind shook them. It was hardly noticeable. A pair of deer joined us for a while as we finished our meal.

The plan for the day was to ride the 11 mile loop through Cade’s Cove on our bikes. If we would were here one day earlier, we could have ridden the loop without motorized vehicles, but this morning we had to share the road. At first it was very frustrating—tailing behind the slowest moving cars or Harleys (they are loud and louder), but finally we passed the cars (bikes usually don’t do that, but the drivers would stop at every wild creature they saw—you see one deer, you’ve seen them all!) We did get to see four black bears walking through the meadow—that stopped all traffic for the photo op.

The ride was awesome—a lot of coasting, but when you go down, you have to go up at some point. There were a few very steep, winding hills, but we geared down and made the climb. I love my new bike for its ease of riding on so many types of roads.

We packed up and spent the rest of the day driving through the Smokies and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The scenery was breathtaking. We stopped for a light lunch under a canopy of trees and listened to the babbling of Laurel Creek. Fly fishermen dotted the streams and tourists stopped to capture the moment. It was a great day to appreciate all that America has to offer.

Tonight we are camping near Ashville NC. Our campground is back woodsy like—Chris thinks he hears banjos in the distance. It was once again RAINING when we got here so we had to set up in the wetness. But, the screen tent was a life-saver (good thing we make happy mistakes) and I made burgers, fried potatoes and pork n’ beans. It always tastes better with the sound of the rushing river in the background. We should sleep well tonight. Tomorrow we will tour the Biltmore Estate before arriving in Florence SC to see Cevyn & Laurie and boys.

you can only be so prepared

If I could rate our adventure today on a scale from 1 to 10, it would be in double digits. Our drive to the Great Smoky Mountains was very uneventful—we drove 525 miles, cruising through Paducah KY, Nashville TN, and finally to the GSM National Park. We made good time, despite losing an hour to Eastern Daylight Time.

The campground at Cade’s Cove was lovely. Our spot was C-7, complete with a fire ring, picnic table and tent pad. It was time to finally unload the car and get set up so I could cook our first camp meal. As we started to pull out all the camping gear, including the tent, cookstove, lantern, etc, we started to feel the exhilaration of camping in God’s beautiful world. It was time to set up the tent first. I unrolled the tent and just stood there staring at it as Chris came over to figure out why I wasn’t putting it up. Then he realized it too…it was not our camping tent, but our screened-in tent for the picnic table! *$#()$%^* (actually, laughing was all we could do, it was pretty funny and we will never forget it!)

What were we to do? Our brand new tent must have gotten put up on the shelf in the garage and we grabbed the wrong tent—their cases look a lot alike. It was now 7 p.m. and we hadn’t eaten AND we didn’t have a place to sleep. Thank goodness for the Garmin GPS that we borrowed from the Theimers. We plugged in “Wal-Mart” (that’s where we got our last, unused tent) to see where the closest one was. Only 28 miles to Maryville TN to the nearest Wal-Mart, but in the mountains it took Chris 45 minutes one way.

Sure enough, they had the same tent we have on our garage shelf for the same price ($49). So Chris picked it up and then stood in the Express Checkout for 15 minutes behind the four women, each with more than 10 items. Finally, two hours later, he arrived back at the campsite. All this while, I set up the screen tent and began cooking the chicken/veggie foil dinner. It was getting dark and ominous. Then the heavens unloaded buckets of water on me. I’m so glad we accidentally packed the screen tent—it was the only thing to protect me and we could eat in a drier setting.

We ate and listened to the monsoon on the other side of the thin screen, praying for it to stop so we could finally set up the sleeping tent. At about 10:30 p.m. the rain let up enough for us to get set up. It’s kind of difficult to put together a 10’x13’ tent in the dark with oversized ponchos on, but with a few re-dos, we erected the structure, blew up the air mattress, made the bed and prepared for sleep. It was a beautiful night—the clouds opened up again with another deluge, but this time we stayed dry.

Morning greeted us with an alarm clock of a large crow perched above our tent, cawing until we emerged from our cocoon. Another day begins…

the smell of elephants fills the air

The rain from Kansas has moved into St Louis, but just a gentle drizzle. Chris & I took a bike ride around Forest Park (about 5.5 miles) this morning. It was beautiful and and great bike-friendly trail. Yes, the smell of elephants did fill the air near the zoo, it would have been fun to stop but we are on a schedule today.

Soon it is off to the Great Smoky Mountains to camp tonight. Drizzle is in the forcast, but as long as we don't get the storm we encountered yesterday, it's all good.

It is hard to say good bye to Kendra, Karl and June, but we will see them again in July. They were great hosts.

On the road again...

So the Meyers are travelling again. We have been anticipating this trip for weeks (or months). The car has been packed for 3 days, the bikes are tied securely to the back of the little Hyundai, and Chris and I have mapped the route on-line, on paper and on GPS. Nothing can stop us now!

Our day began at the crack of dawn. We were up, gathering last minute items, checking the packing list and securing the house for our 9 day adventure to South Carolina and back. It was good we bought the largest cooler--all the wonderful food for camping takes up lots of space.

The drive to St. Louis was non-eventful until 10 minutes from our destination. The sky grew black and the large raindrops began splattering the windshield, then the heavens let loose. There was hail, tree branches and rain (like being in a carwash). Luckily it lasted for the last 10 minutes before we came to Kendra, Karl and June's house in Clayton, Missouri.

We are so excited to see the Fays, especially baby June. We ate at the Schlafly Bottleworks--a great local brewery and eatery. We enjoyed the beautiful St Louis weather after the storm. Then it was a wonderful evening of strolling about around the Lutheran seminary.

June is the highlight of the day. She is a beautiful, easy-tempered 4-month-old with gorgeous curly eyelashes. It is so fun to see Kendra and Karl enjoy their family. We discovered that Kendra is the same age that I was when I first got to know her (she was 7). Wow--such history.

Tomorrow it's the Great Smoky Mountains.