Oct 21
Here we are, on the eve of another trip. Now, normally I wouldn't start reporting on a trip, until the trip has actually begun. But, this isn't just any trip...this trip was specifically designed for my mother. So, I thought I'd add a little introduction.After years of Sheila and I recounting our travels with my mother, and after years of my mother hinting "I'd love to go to the States!", we hatched a scheme that would see me and Mom go on a tour of the South, leaving Sheila to hold down the fort at home. We needed a plan because I didn't think Mom would have played along if I had said, "...how about if I take 10 days vacation, leave Sheila at home, and you and I take the trailer to South Carolina?". Nope...that wouldn't fly.
So, we fabricated a story. A story that goes something like this "...we have these campground reservations, and I've already paid a non-refundable deposit, BUT (wink, wink) because of work commitments, Sheila just can't get away from the office for the trip. Now I still want to go but I'd rather not travel all that way by myself. Would you mind going along with me?". She bought it, hook, line and sinker!
Tonight we're in Moncton for my niece's (Tanya) wedding. After the festivities wrap up, Mom will travel back to Saint John with me and Sheila. Bright and early tomorrow morning, Mom and I head out.
Oct 22
Finally, the big day has arrived! Looks like a mixed bag for weather...clear at first but clouding over later with rain and drizzle. Not bad weather for traveling. Hopefully this means better weather is in store when we arrive in Kentucky.We set out this morning around 7am, and had a pretty much uneventful first day on the road.
After crossing the border at St. Stephen/Calais with relative ease, we stopped at an Irving convenience store just inside the Maine border to gas up and have a bite to eat. Had some store-made breakfast sandwiches and were back on the road.
We followed Route 9 (known as 'The Airline' to the locals) to Brewer, then hopped onto the I-95. We'll use this highway to reach Massachusetts.
We decided to stop for a mid-day break at the Charlton Plaza in Sturbridge, MA. This place is great! It's a full service highway rest area, with gas pumps as well as various restaurants and takeouts. We pulled into their huge parking lot and dove into our cooler of sandwiches that we brought from home. An assortment of ham & cheese sandwiches and egg sandwiches. Gassed up and moved on.
At this point we got onto the I-84. We'll follow this interstate for some time, passing through Connecticut, New York and eventually into Pennsylvania.
Shortly after crossing the Pennsylvania state line, we left the I-84 and started following Rte. 209. Stopped for gas at a Mobil gas bar, then drove through Milford and headed for the Delaware Water Gap Recreational Area. What a nice change of pace to get off the highway, and use these nice leisurely back roads for a little while.
Stopped for the night (in the pouring rain) at the Delaware Water Gap KOA in East Stroudsburg, PA. Had some left over sandwiches and crashed for the night.
Oct 23
We got up early because we'll have another long day on the road. I'm not sure where we'll be when we finally pull off the road tonight because there's a storm heading up the Atlantic Seaboard...Hurricane Wilma. My original plan was to go directly to South Carolina, then loop through Kentucky on the way home. That may change if Wilma gets too close to the Carolinas. I'm considering reversing our loop - visiting Kentucky first, to wait out the storm then go to South Carolina after Wilma has passed through. I'll need to decide soon. By the time we reach Hagerstown, MD we'll need to know if we're going to continue south to the Carolinas, or head west to Kentucky to avoid Wilma.So we got on the road around 6:30, got back on the 209, eventually finding our way onto the I-80 just outside Stroudsburg. Then we used routes 33, and 22 to reach Carlisle for our first stop of the day.
Stopped for gas at a Flying J in Carlisle. Spent a few minutes browsing their store, then called home to Sheila to check on the hurricane situation. Apparently Wilma is heading straight for South Carolina. Okay. I guess we're heading for Kentucky.
Around 2:30 we needed to gas up again, so we stopped at a Love's truck stop in western Maryland. A good time to have something to eat so we had some hot dogs for lunch. That wasn't quite enough, so we grabbed some muffins too. I had a lemon poppy seed one. Yummy!
Shortly after our lunch break, we drove by a very interesting geological exhibit. We didn't have time to stop today, but maybe on a subsequent trip. Something called "Sideling Hill Exhibit Center". Years ago, highway construction cut through this mountain exposing all these layers of ancient rock. Very cool!! These cut cliffs are almost 1000' high! It appears as though they have a fenced in walkway anchored to the side of the cliff, complete with interpretive signs explaining what you're looking at.
Another gas stop in Maryland, just before the Kentucky state line, then back on the road.
Tonight we finally reached beautiful Lexington, Kentucky...well, I think it's beautiful...it's hard to tell with all the rain, drizzle and fog.
Oct 24
Yup, it certainly is beautiful here...we are staying at the Kentucky Horse Park campground, and we're quite literally surrounded by fabulous horse ranches. Horse pastures (and horses) as far as the eye can see!!This morning we decided to go to a Cracker Barrel restaurant for breakfast. Both of us had the Sunrise Sampler...IT WAS DELICIOUS!! Eggs, bacon, ham, sausage, hash brown casserole, grits, buttermilk biscuits with gravy and fried apples. YUMMY!! I'm full just thinking about it.
Kentucky is world famous for it's Bourbon, so we thought it'd be fun to see one of the local distilleries up close. We decided to do a tour at the Wild Turkey distillery. Very neat. We saw 15,000 gallon vats where the corn mash was working. We saw where the mash created alcohol - at this point they called it "whiskey". We saw where the whiskey was put into oak barrels, then we walked through a huge building where it was aged. After aging for one year it becomes "bourbon" - after aging for 2 years it becomes "Kentucky bourbon". When it was all done, we gladly volunteered our services as taste-testers...if they needed any. Just our luck...they didn't need any. Oh well, we tried.
Oct 25
Not much happening today. Headed into Lexington and picked up some groceries. Drove around a bit to explore the city.Considering the fact we are in the 'horse capital of the world' we thought we'd try and find some horse races. We learned that there's a famous racetrack not far from the campground - "Keeneland". Stopped by to see when the races take place. Wouldn't you know it, the races don't begin until AFTER we leave Kentucky...oh crap!
Went back to the trailer and relaxed for a bit then drove over to the Kentucky Horse Park. We didn't bother to get tickets for any of the shows. Decided just to drive around the beautifully kept grounds. Took some photos, then we visited the gift shop.
Had some barbequed hamburgers for supper...delicious!
Oct 26
Today we left Lexington, in search of sunnier, and warmer, weather in South Carolina.By mid-morning, the skies cleared and the weather improved greatly. After several days of rain, it was nice to see some sun.
Saw some beautiful scenery today. Said goodbye to Kentucky then drove through the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Very scenic. Stopped for gas just outside Knoxville, TN.
Got lost in North Carolina. So we decided to stop for gas at an Exxon and ask for directions. Apparently we weren't the only tourists that got lost in this area. I told the store owner about our dilemma. He nods his head and grabs a photocopy of directions from this huge stack. Knowing we weren't the only ones made me feel a bit better.
Stopped for gas again near Florence, SC.
It was quite late by the time we set up at Huntington Beach State Park (just outside Myrtle Beach, SC) so didn't do much besides have a quick snack and go to bed.
Oct 27
We are going to have a fabulous day today - forecast is calling for sunny skies with temperatures around 22O C mark. This campground is great! We're parked just a few feet from the famous South Carolina beachfront. We have lots of campground roads for walking or biking, and the park has wild alligators living close by! COOL!! The campground is adjacent to the Huntington Beach State Park, where the most famous exhibit is an old castle-like structure called "Atalaya" (spanish for watch tower). We didn't get a chance to see it, but apparently it was built back in the early 1900's by the Huntingtons - Archer, a Spanish scholar and Anna, an eccentric artist. I mentioned the beautiful beach to Mom, and suggested to her that we go check it out. She said she had a better idea..."Let's go shopping!". Oh...okay...yeah...sure...that does sound like more fun :( So we set out, in search of gifts for the folks back home. Did some grocery shopping, then drove around to take in the sights of Myrtle Beach.That evening we threw together a Chicken Pesto Pizza for supper...yummy!
Oct 28
Today we drove down to Charleston, SC. to do a narrated bus tour with "Taylored Tours of Charleston".Well, let me tell you, our guide was Trisha, and she was hilarious! It certainly was fun, listening to her tell stories of Charleston in her very Southern drawl. Armed with the South's famous charm and humor, she kept us in stitches for an hour and a half. And it was obvious from the start that Trisha was an animal lover. She knew all the pets in the neighborhood. As a matter of fact, there was more than one occasion when she would stop the bus right in the middle of the street to a have quick chat with one of them.
It was shortly after noon when we finished our tour, so I suggested we stop at the "Sticky Fingers" restaurant in Mount Pleasant for lunch. OH MY GOD, it was good!! We each had the barbeque and rib lunch combo. A barbeque sandwich along side their famous ribs, coleslaw and barbeque baked beans, and lots of their fabulous (iced) tea...DELICIOUS!
In the afternoon, we decided to tour one of the biggest plantations in the area..."Boone Hall Plantation". Hanna was our guide and she did a great job. Boone Hall has gone through a number of owners since it was first built in the mid 1600's, but still retains all the beauty from the early days. This place has the most amazing driveway...about a half mile long, lined on the both sides with mighty oaks. And these oak trees are so big that they've actually grown over the road and meet in the middle. Like driving through a tunnel...very neat! At one time this estate boasted 4000 acres and 250 slaves. It's quite a place! Very interesting to see the slave quarters up close - small buildings about 15' by 30' that would each house about 16 slaves!! Unbelievable!
Tonight we decided to have a little campfire. It just wouldn't be camping without a fire! And of course, you can't have a fire without snacks! We always keep the ingredients for "s'mores" on hand, just in case. So we munched on s'mores, had some chips, and washed it down with some beer. What a life!!
Oct 29
We decided to head back into Myrtle Beach today to pick up more gifts for the folks back home.While we were out and about, we stopped at one of the many road side stands in Mount Pleasant that sell hand-woven sweet grass baskets. This is a fascinating part of the landscape down here. These stands are run by local African-American ladies who use the same weaving skills that their Great, Great, Great Grandmothers used in Africa over a hundred years ago and have been handed down from generation to generation! These baskets are beautiful and come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. From very small ones, about 3 inches wide, to huge, elaborate ones that measure about two feet wide! We spoke to Ida and Henrietta. Two of the sweetest old girls you'll ever meet. Of course, we couldn't leave without buying some baskets to take home. I got two for Sheila and Mom bought one for my sister, Kim.
Oct 30
Didn't do a great deal today. Watched some of the NASCAR race from Atlanta and finally had an opportunity to hit the beach. It was worth the wait. Absolutely gorgeous! And weather was awesome considering it is October 30. Beautiful sunny skies and 24O C. What a great way to unwind and rest up before we hit the road tomorrow.Oct 31
Got up early today and started the long trip home.Decided to 'boondock' tonight. I had mentioned to Mom that on longer trips, Sheila and I will occasionally spend the night at a truckstop, rather than a campground. Cheaper (i.e. free), and so much easier to pull into, and out of, than a campsite. She thought we should do that too. I wasn't so sure she'd enjoy it. I thought a Wal-Mart might be better, for her sake, than a noisy truckstop. I knew where we could find a Wal-Mart along our route - unfortunately, it was getting too late to reach it. We had to settle for a 'AmBest' truckstop in Stroudsburg, PA.
Nov 1
Morning arrived and Mom said she didn't mind staying at this truckstop, but I'm guessing she didn't like it...it was quite busy and noisy all night!Arrived in Saint John late tonight. Sheila was already in bed. Guess we'll have to wait 'til morning to tell her all about our adventure.
The "Big Trip" is over and done now. I think Mom enjoyed herself. I HOPE she enjoyed herself. We hurried at times, but this being Mom's one and only trip to the South, I wanted to squeeze a lot of stuff in. We covered 5660 kilometers during this trip. Probably covered more distance than was necessary, but I wanted Mom to see a variety of things...Kentucky and Tennessee, the Smoky Mountains, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Carolinas, and palm trees. We covered all that and more.
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