November 13-15, 2009

Days 68-70



We woke to a beautiful day and got on the road early. We arrived in Memphis, TN in afternoon. On the recommendation of our Memphis friend, Angela, we stayed at the AgriCenter International RV park, close to Germantown. It is a huge complex with an Expo Center, stables for over 500 horses, an agricultural research center, bike and hiking trails, and a farmers market.

After unhitching, we had to settle for a bike ride since there was no beach. After dinner, we drove into downtown Memphis to Beale Street, the home of the blues and rock and roll.

It was fun walking around and listening to the street musicians. There was one old guy playing some Delta Blues whom we really enjoyed. We ended up at BB Kings for a few hours listening to a fantastic band that played non-stop.

Beers were only $2 which really surprised us. From there, we wandered into Coyote Ugly. Believe me when I say that it was nothing like the movie! It was 12:30 AM when we crashed into bed after a long day on the road.

Saturday brought more sunshine and we soaked it up while eating breakfast, another one of Chef Bob’s delectable meals.Before long, we were on our way to Graceland, the home of the “King”, Elvis Presley.

We toured the mansion and the meditation garden where Elvis and his parents are buried.

The house appears to be untouched since his death in 1977.

His collection of awards, gold records, stage outfits and other memorabilia was impressive, especially after passing through Tupelo, MS and seeing Elvis’ humble roots.

We also visited the car museum (loved the pink Cadillac) and his personal jets.

Old Elvis has, more than likely, made more money dead than he did when he was alive. From Graceland, we found Central Barbeque that has been featured on the Food network. The pulled pork sandwiches and the ribs were absolutely some of the best barbeque that we have had. Lucky for us, they had a whole roll of paper towels on the table! After catching our breath and relaxing, we drove 50 miles south to Mississippi to Sam’s Town casino. There must have been 20 or more other casinos on the Mississippi River. After losing $20 in the slot machine-no big surprise there, we went to the Darius Rucker concert. Formerly the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for Hootie and the Blowfish, he had just won the CMA new artist of the year award. It was 2 hours of good music, mostly country rock and some of his oldies, well worth the $40 ticket. We were both energized and decided to go back to Beale Street to listen to more blues.

It was hopping with a lot more young people out than last night and a heavy Memphis PD presence on both ends of the street.

Our choice tonight was the Blues City Café, an original juke joint, famous for its ribs and famous musicians that have played in the “Band Box”.

We enjoyed a local blues band and yes, the ribs were as good as they brag about. After another late night, we head for our home away from home.

Sunday was another 70+ degree day and we were moving slowly. A mile away was the Shelby Farms City Park, an expansive park offering bike and hiking trails, a lake for kayaking and canoeing, a kite flying area, a herd of American Bison, a picnic area and playground.

We walked for an hour around the lake, working up a sweat. We sat for a bit watching the geese and ducks, thankful for the warmth of the sun. We would have stayed longer, but we had planned to meet our friend Angela at the Hospice Bereavement Center where she works. I was envious, wishing that we had one like it at our Hospice in Soldotna. Angela took us to her favorite barbeque restaurant in Germantown. We should have been sick of barbeque, but we felt like food critiques for the Food Network and wanted to try all the best places. After our late lunch, we had one more place that we wanted to see, Sun Records on Union Street.

It was an excellent tour of the recording studio opened by Sam Phillips in 1950. Elvis Presley got his start here in the early fifties, charming Marion Keisker, Sam’s business partner, into letting him record.

The building has the original ceiling tiles, recording equipment and even the microphone

that many famous artists used, including Howling Wolf,

Rufus Thomas, Roy Orbison, BB King, Charlie Rich and the “million dollar quartet”, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Lewis who lives close by, is known as the “last man standing”. Artists continue to record at Sun Studio, the most recent being John Mellencamp and U2. This was one of the highlights of our trip and we hope to get back to Memphis again to see Angela and take in one of the Blues Festivals. Tomorrow, we would be on our way to Loma Linda, Missouri, near Joplin.

Saturday, November 7-12, 2009
Day 62-67


We arrived at the Lakewood Campground in Myrtle Beach in the afternoon. It is the largest campground that we have ever seen. It has an indoor and outdoor pool, hot tub, tennis and basketball courts, a cafe and pizzeria that delivers to your site, and many more amenities. We found a site right across from the dunes and beach. I loved being able to hear the surf from our site. We unhooked the truck and set up camp, thrilled that we were going to be staying in one spot for a week. Bob did not even ask, he knew that I wanted to go to the beach for a walk.

 It is becoming our routine and one that I love. After working up an appetite, we came back and grilled up some tender fillets and made a scallop/shrimp fettuccine with our remaining seafood. Sunday was a sleep in day followed by enjoying the sunshine and relaxing. Chef Bob served a delicious breakfast outside before we went to the beach. We walked in the surf to the Pier and back, a 5.5 mile walk.

There were more people around today: fishing, soaking up the sun, and riding horses.

 After a late lunch, I went to the beach to read and enjoy the last 2 hours of daylight while Bob washed the truck. I did not even feel guilty! Of course, we had to return to the beach for a night time stroll and we had it all to ourselves. Monday was another relaxing, warm day in the 70’s. We went for a bike ride exploring the area and worked out. We met our neighbors, who recommended a good restaurant called the Gulf Stream Café for an early seafood dinner. It overlooked a huge marsh and the Murrells Inlet. As we enjoyed a flounder and blackened Atlantic salmon dinner, we watched the boats returning from fishing as the sun set. It was a perfect way to end a wonderful day. On Tuesday, we were expecting rain so we went for our walk on the beach early. Half way into our walk, the rain came so we turned and felt it on our backs, but it was a warm rain and we did not mind. It was a good day to catch up on paperwork and read. Hurricane Ida was not finished with us. It rained all night and all of the next day. Bob wanted to go to the Bass Pro Shop to browse. It was a huge store with everything that you can imagine, including a fish tank with the largest salt water fish that I have ever seen, outside of an aquarium. We noticed that there was a movie theater next door and we decided to take in an early movie, Law Abiding Citizen. Since the evening news predicted more rain and wind, thanks to Ida, we decided to get out of “Dodge” early. On Thursday, we woke to rain and headed inland. It did not take long to find the sunshine. An Alaskan friend, Scott Deans, recommended that we stop at Rogers Barbeque in Florence,North Carolina where he grew up.

 It was an $8 buffet and it was fantastic. Scott’s tip to put the red gravy on the pulled pork like the locals do, was on the money. After getting over-satiated, we were on our way to Memphis, stopping for the night after we got by Atlanta.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Day 61

This morning the campground hosted an end of the season breakfast. We met people from all over the east coast. One family that sat next to us was from Willsboro, NY, a few miles away from our hometown. They knew many of the same people that we did, including a couple that I babysat for. After doing some laundry, we were on our way to the village of Hatteras to catch a ferry to Ocracoke Island. First, we visited the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in Buxton, the tallest (208 feet) brick beacon in the country.

The black and white spiraled beauty was impressive. However, we were disappointed that it was not opened to climbing at this time of the year. When we got to the dock, we were pleasantly surprised that the 40 minute ferry ride was free, especially since we were towing a 5th wheel. After docking, we made our way down the 16 mile long island, going by the National Park Service pony pen. They are called the “Banker Ponies” and the theory is that they got to the island as a result of thousands of shipwrecks.

They roamed the island freely until the mid 60’s when they were fenced in to protect them from traffic and other dangers. People can help with the cost of their care by “adopting” one for $25. We got to Ocracoke ferry dock and walked around exploring the quaint little village. From a distance, we could see the Ocracoke Lighthouse, the oldest operating lighthouse, built in 1798.

This is also where the famous pirate, Blackbeard ,was killed in 1718.

Our ferry ride to Cedar Island and the mainland was a 2 hour and 15 minute crossing so we crawled in the 5th wheel to read and snooze. From Cedar Island, we drove as far as Morehouse City and stopped for the night.

Tuesday-Thursday, November 3-5, 2009

Days 58-60

It seems that our travel days are destined to be beautiful, but we are not complaining. After hooking up the 5th wheel, we take one last long walk on the beach and start the short 90 mile jaunt to NC…an easy day of driving compared to most.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is a thin broken strand of islands that comes out into the Atlantic Ocean and connects again with the mainland. There are long stretches of beaches, sand dunes, marshes, and woodlands.

It is a fishing mecca and great place for birding. We arrived at the Visitor Center in Kitty Hawk to get some information on campgrounds and a seafood restaurant. We settled on Henry’s, and it was a good choice. We savored excellent she-crab soup, shrimp, crab cakes, and hush puppies that tasted like dessert. We were nourished and ready to see the Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kitty Hawk. Our first stop was the Visitor Center to see reproductions of the 1902 glider, the 1903 Flyer, their first wind tunnel, and the original engine block from the 1903 flying machine.

                                                                             

They even displayed the original sewing machine that the brothers used to sew the fabric for the plane.

From there we walked to the First Flight Boulder and Markers. The 6 ton granite boulder is where the first plane left the ground on December 17, 1903 at 10:35 a.m. It may have only been 12 seconds and 120 feet, but it made history.

It was followed by a second flight of 12 seconds, 175 feet, a third flight of 15 seconds and 200 feet and the final flight of 50 seconds and 852 feet. Near the Boulder is the reconstructed hangar, quarters and workshop that Orville and Wilbur used. On top of Kill Devil Hills, a 90 foot sand dune, there is a 60 foot monument that honors the Wright brothers and is the site of the hundreds of glider flights that preceded their first powered flight.

This was an amazing experience and what is even more amazing is how far we have come in 106 years. I do not think that I will ever get on an airplane again and take it for granted.

From Kitty Hawk, we made our way down the Outer Banks along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. We found our campground, Ocean Waves, just as the sun was setting on Pamlico Sound…it looked like a blazing ball of fire disappearing into the Atlantic. Of course, as soon we got set up, the sounds of the ocean lured us to her for a walk on the beach.

On Wednesday, we soaked up the sun on the beach reading for several hours and watching people surf fish and fly kites.

After walking 6 miles down the beach and back to the house where “ Nights in Rodanthe” was filmed,

we stopped to watch another glorious sunset, making it back to the 5th wheel at dark. It was one spectacular day. And to think that Bob was worried that I would have trouble adjusting to being retired!

On Thursday, I woke at 6 a.m. and headed to the beach to look for shells and watch the sunrise. I was the only one on the beach to welcome the new day. I would have taken some great pictures, but someone forgot to put the charged battery back in! It was peaceful and relaxing listening to the surf and watching the shore birds. After breakfast, we went to Bodie Island to see the lighthouse, built in 1847.

It had to be rebuilt in 1859 due to unstable ground. In 1861, it was blown up by the confederate army so that the Union army would not use it to their advantage. We met the 93 year old volunteer, John Griskill, whose father was the lighthouse keeper. He lived in the “keepers” quarters during the summers and holidays with his family until he was 18, before joining the Merchant Marine. It was fascinating listening to his stories about growing up on the Outer Banks at a time when boats were the only method of transportation. He told us one story about the hurricane of 1930. His Dad was trying to get to the lighthouse to light the oil lamp beacon, but because he was heavily dressed in rain gear, it acted like a sail and he was almost blown out to sea. Desperate to provide a beacon for mariners, he stripped down to his underwear and fought against the hurricane force winds. He made it to the lighthouse, only to be greeted by snakes and muskrats on the first step trying to avoid the flooding waters.

From there, we went to Roanoke Island to get seafood at O’ Neills: scallops, shrimp, and little neck clams. We could hardly wait to get back to cook them up outside. What a feast! We had to take one last walk on the beach after the sun set. We sat by the dunes, listened to the surf, and watched the sky come alive with stars. What a way to end another great day.
More Pictures

Saturday-Monday, October 31- November 2, 2009

Days 55-57

When we arrived in the late afternoon at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, it was 80 degrees. We got settled at our site, lined on both sides with thick Live Oak trees, and right across from Chesapeake Bay.

Of course, we immediately headed for the dune crossover to the beach. Nothing quiets my mind and heart and nurtures my soul more than being near the water, especially the ocean. (Walking in the woods on a crisp fall day enjoying the colorful foliage is a close second!) We walked the beach breathing in the fresh ocean air.

We could see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, the largest in the world. It was selected as one of the “Seven Engineering Wonders of the World”, measuring 17.6 miles from shore to shore. (12 miles of trestled roadway, 2 mile long tunnels, 2 bridges, 4 man-made islands, 2 miles of causeway) Just the concrete support columns, called piles, if stretched end to end would reach from Philadelphia to New York. We met our neighbors on our way back to camp, an elderly couple who RV’s full time. After dinner, we went back down to the beach. The nearly full moon was dancing on the waves and illuminated our way down the beach. We noticed some fishermen checking their nets. Curious as too what they were doing, we went over to watch. They were pulling in a 1400 foot seine net with fewer speckled sea trout in it than they had hoped. They sold us a 3 lb. trout for $5 ($6.50 lb. in the store) and gave us a small bluefish. There net had some small flounder, conch, and blowfish in it, but they did not keep them. The trout was absolutely delicious, but the bluefish was a little oily and mushy.

Before going to bed, we sat out in our t-shirts loving the balmy weather and moonlit night. This is what we had been anticipating!

We had heard so much about the Virginia City boardwalk and wanted to get a walk in so we headed for Atlantic Boulevard. It was breezy and overcast and the boardwalk was abandoned, except for the parks and rec guys putting up Christmas light displays and preparing huge mounds of sand for a sandcastle competition.

Walking along the boardwalk, we were greeted by a colossal 34-foot high bronze statue of King Neptune that rises from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. It was impressive. We could only imagine how crazy this place gets at Spring Break and in the summer.

Another highlight, was visiting Cape Henry and the First Landing National Memorial. On April 26, 1607, the beginning of our American colonial history, 105 colonists on 3 English ships landed here and raised a wooden “crosse”, claiming the land for England and naming it after Henry, Prince of Wales.

The new settlers eventually sailed inland and established the first permanent colony at Jamestown, VA. That will have to be another trip. We also walked up to the top of the first Cape Henry Lighthouse, a octagonal lighthouse made from limestone, established by an Act of Congress in 1789.

It was our countries first public works project among many. The second lighthouse was built in 1881 nearby and is the tallest of its kind being 100% cast iron.

Since the Coast Guard personnel act as “keepers” at Fort Story, we were not allowed to go up. It was, also, here that the French Adm. De Grasse drove off the British fleet, resulting in General Cornwallis’ surrender at Yorktown.

There is still so much to see and do here, but we are looking forward to seeing the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and decide to head south on Tuesday.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Day 52

After leaving PA, we passed through NJ, DE, MD, skirted Washington, DC and entered VA on our way to Shenandoah National Park. The scenic roadway, rock walls, tunnel and many of the original structures were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Park was formally established in 1935. We entered the park from the north and began our 105 mile journey down Skyline Drive, following the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The winding road featured 75 overlooks with magnificent views of the mountains, Shenandoah Valley, and white oaks.

Part of the famed Georgia to Maine Appalachian Trail runs adjacent to Skyline Drive. For a brief moment, I thought about the idea of hiking it, until Bob reminded me that it was close to 2,200 hundred miles.

All along the highway, there were many white-tailed deer camouflaged so well in the trees, it made it difficult to see them until they jumped out to cross the road.

We also saw plenty of hawks and an occasional peregrine falcon. Since it was getting late in the day, we decided to stay at the first campground, Matthews Arm. We were ready to relax, cook dinner outside, and enjoy a campfire. On Thursday, we took a 4.5 mile hike to Elkwallow wearing just our long sleeved t-shirts. We were surprised to hear that last week, they had a nor’easter and the park was shut down for a couple of days due to snow. We counted our lucky stars that we missed it! After two days, we were ready to move to Big Meadows campground, 30 miles south. I wanted to try out my new mountain bike and talked Bob into going exploring as soon as we unhitched and got settled.

We woke the next day to rain and fog and spent the day doing laundry, reading, and relaxing at the Lodge while checking on email. After dinner, we decided to return to the Lodge to hear an Irish folk-singer. The fog was so thick, we had to creep along in the truck, using the white arrows on the campground roads as our guide. By Friday, it was warmer but still overcast. We went to the Visitor Center and took another hike. On our way back to camp, we spotted a black bear stalking deer and a sow and her cub up a tree. By Saturday, we were ready to get off the mountain and move on to Virginia Beach. As we hit sunshine and warmer temperatures, we were ecstatic, rolling down the windows and opening the sun roof.