22 - West Virginia & Kentucky (WV, KY)



Where are we? Don't ask our GPS because it doesn't really know...New River Gorge, (well part of it)!


Leaving Virginia we drove to West Virginia (the geographer in me questions why they didn't come up with a more original name...).   New River Gorge, located in the Appalachian Mountains, is known to be one of the best white water rafting rivers around on the oldest river on the continent. The New River Gorge National River lies at the core of a globally significant forest containing the most diverse flora of any river gorge in central and southern Appalachia and provides essential habitat for endangered mammals and rare birds and amphibians.  Wow! we were pumped and excited to check out the park.

Only problem, our GPS had other plans and we ended up entering part of the park that wasn't a main entrance and after parking the truck and walking along the road for a couple of hours, all we saw was a nice picnic area to have lunch. We found large flat rocks along the river, so we hopped along them to our spot. While hopping, Catalina decided that she preferred to swim instead of hop...we think that's her first time ever swimming! Maybe the cool temperatures of the water was more of a motivator, but either way, while we sat and ate our sandwiches, she shook herself dry.

View from our lunchtime picnic area

An old railway converted to a footbridge, during the industrial period
of the 1870's, coal mining created small towns along the river.

MAMMOTH CAVE:

 

One of the larger rooms, just leaving the Rotunda Room

After a couple days in the area we moved onto to Kentucky. Our destination was Mammoth cave, the world's longest cave system, currently over 390 miles explored.  To go along with the largeness of the cave was also the size of our tour group; over 70 people and only one guide! If you were not at the front of the group you couldn't hear much of what the guide said. Fortunately we were at the front and the grandeur of the cave kept most people satisfied.  One cool feature in the cave, you could see where people back in the 1800's left their name, by candlelight.  Using the flame to blacken (scorch) the ceilings, people wrote their names & date they visited.

A LITTLE BIT OF THIS & A LITTLE BIT OF THAT:

WigWam Village, huge concrete teepees for you to stay in...far cooler than a Motel 6!

Our campsite was in Cave City, kind of an interesting place. Along the main road it wasn't uncommon to see 50ft tall T-Rex statues, haunted houses, raceways & amusement rides, Jesse James paraphernalia, WigWam Village, Yogi Bear's Jellystone park - and much more! After Labor Day it seems attendance goes way down since most places looked either closed or only 1 or 2 cars were in their parking lots.

CHOCOLATE, KENTUCKY STYLE!
One parking lot we did visit was the best fudge in Kentucky store! Our campsite owners highly recommended sampling the homemade chocolate bon bons and fudge at Chasers Kentucky Chocolates. "More gifts to bring home", I thought, but after about 3 days, everything was eaten with the exception of the bourbon balls (currently in the freezer)! If you are in the area, you need to visit this place, their dark chocolate is very, very good & it's homemade!


BOURBON TRAIL:

Since Kentucky is known for it's bourbon, we decided to spend the day driving the Bourbon Trail. The trail was North from where we were staying (about 50 miles) and consisted of 6 distilleries. You can visit them in any order and do it at your leisure. Not sure if we even liked Bourbon (we've never tried it before), our first stop was Jim Beam's Distillery, one of the more popular brands out there. The distillery was only offering self guided tours to certain areas of the compound, (Oct is when they were offer the full tour). That was okay since the displays were very interesting. I was amazed the casks (barrels) don't use glue. In fact the process involved in making one is to use 30-32 pieces of oak strips of wood which are then pressed into shape with steam and held in place with only 6 metal rings. The inside of the barrel is burned to char the insides giving the bourbon that oaky finish. Once the barrel is complete, the bourbon is stored in it for a minimum of 6 yrs.

Oh, the fumes when you walked into here....
millions of gallons all under one roof

After going through the process and seeing where the barrels were stored, we went to the tasting room, and the verdict is.....we are not bourbon fans!


A DAY TOO LATE:

Another tour we were excited to see was the Corvette factory & museum in Bowling Green. We arrived on Fri, Sep 14th, only to find out the last tour for the year was the day before. The plant is shutting down public access so that they can focus on their new body style for the 2013 model....so close, but yet so far....

We spent a few extra days at our campsite waiting for a rv part for Dave to install. Sometimes it's nice to have extra days padded between destinations, I especially enjoyed sleeping in for a change! September is a big birthday month for both our families, I was able to send my parents' cards from the town nextdoor to where we were staying, Glasgow, Kentucky.....I thought that was appropriate for my Scottish parents! :)

WHERE TO NEXT?

Our next destination is a place that sounds like an interesting place to visit, so without much research, we turned SE to the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

21 - Shenandoah National Park, VA - The Bear Facts!



View from Skyline Drive, Blue Ridge Mountains, VA

 We had read the Shenandoah area was a nice place to hike and offered many scenic views. It's kind of a skinny ridge with a road running North/South for over 105 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Lots of lookout points to pull over for those Kodak moments, trail heads starting at many parking lots throughout for your hiking pleasure, or you can sit back and enjoy the views and drive as much or as little as you like...One view we had not expected was of the bear kind...




Talented Catalina can balance on a fallen tree!



Upper Doyle falls, Shenandoah National Park

But before I dish the details, I was faced with a dilemma... (a) Sit down, procrastinate a little (or maybe a lot!), eat some snacks, check my emails, think what I was going to make for dinner, etc, THEN open up my blog and then THINK what I would write, and then write it.

     -or-

(b) Go to Dave's blog and copy what he's already written on Shenandoah...Well, I think you know where I'm going with this! We're on the tail end of our trip and so it's getting a little harder to keep things as "up to date" as possible.  Besides, why be redundant, if someone has already written the tale, then the most logical solution is to use what's already been written...so without further adieu, here's the recycled version from Dave's blog:

Walking along a hiking trail, Catalina suddenly stopped and sniffed the air, then looked into the forest and started barking. There, about 120 feet away, a black bear was at the top of a tree, charging down the trunk at a high rate of speed.

Not our bear but similar!

About five minutes after leaving the campsite that morning, it was realized that the bear spray had been forgotten. A debate ensued about whether or not it was worth going back for. After all, five minutes back meant ten minutes round trip, and what were the chances that it would be needed?

As the bear neared the ground, we were happy with our decision to go back. Dave handed Avril the leash and unholstered the spray.

In the moments before the bear reached the ground, we wondered which way it would go. It was clearly agitated and in a hurry to get somewhere, but would it charge aggressively, or run away once all paws were on terra firma?

See the fear in his cute little eyes?

A second later, the question was answered, as the bear hit the ground and ran in the opposite direction, clearly more frightened by us and the barking, than us of it. 

Judging by its size, the bear looked like it was an adolescent, which raised the question of how young, and where might mama bear be? She was nowhere to be seen. It was a while before the spray was returned to its holster!

Later in the day, we stopped for lunch at an overnight hut on the Appalachian trail. This was a rustic wood cabin with a lock on the door and a sign with a phone number to call for bookings. It looked like guests would have to either make pre-arrangements for a key or else the park warden would arrive in advance to unlock the door. In any case, the cabin was deserted and we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the sunshine on the stone steps.

Enjoying our lunch like this...

Rather than like that....

After lunch, we were a scant few yards back down the trail when Catalina suddenly stopped and sniffed. Another bear. Only this time, it was already on the ground and only about 80 feet away.

Dave passed the leash again and unlimbered the spray, but while doing so, the bear turned tail and again crashed through the brush away from us. Unfortunately, the bear’s line of departure was close to that of the trail. Consulting the map, it was apparent that the only way back to the truck was to take the trail in the same direction as the bear. For most of the way back, loud talking and much jingling of the bell was in order, and keeping the spray in hand for much of the time. Fortunately, the bear did not reappear and before long, everyone was safely back in the truck.

Although it was not needed, we agreed that we were happy to have gone back for the spray.

Several months earlier, we had received some advice, (thanks Sue & Paul) regarding bear deterrents. The best deterrent is of course avoidance, and large parties, loud talking and bells all help to warn the bears and let them know that there are people there and most will avoid encounters where possible. However, some are more aggressive than others and in a small percentage of cases, they will attack people. In this case, two options for defense are considered; a gun, or bear spray. Believe it or not, the spray is deemed to be more effective. It turns out that unless you have a really big gun, you are unlikely to kill and stop a charging bear before it reaches you. Assuming, of course, that in the excitement of the moment, you actually hit the bear.

However, bear spray releases a large cloud of extremely noxious pepper spray for up to 40 feet. You don’t have to hit the bear – you just have to be pointed in approximately the right direction to generate the cloud that he will run into. This is not your mama’s pepper spray, either – it is a particularly potent concoction. According to one invincible young man, his friend tried “a small amount” on him and he “just about died” (tongue in cheek). It is painful and (temporarily) blinding and asphyxiating. The bear will be highly motivated to get away and in any event, should be sufficiently disoriented to allow the users to get out of Dodge.

All is calm and peaceful again :)

After Shenandoah, it was off to New River Gorge and the mountains of West Virginia. These are among some of the more uniquely shaped hills that we had seen on his trip. Lots of mountains and hills seemingly haphazardly placed atop one another, and covered in a thick carpet of trees, often with creeks or rivers flowing through the valleys below. Although not as high or imposing as the mountains of the West, they had their own unique beauty.

Quite the balancing act here!!!

20 - Jamestown & Williamsburg, VA

THE FIRST SETTLERS - THE AMERICAN BIRTH:

After 5 months at sea, the English colonists finally see what they will call Jamestown

 
Our trip so far has been very educational and enlightening to say the least. Not only is my geography improving, (Dave may say otherwise...), so has my understanding of American history. Last year I told my yoga students that I saw a movie about Christopher Columbus and I was surprised that he didn't sail over on the Mayflower... (okay, so you get an idea of the extent of what this Cdn knows about US history)... Well, while traveling to Virginia I discovered the Mayflower wasn't the first ship of "pilgrims", and Plymouth, Massachusetts wasn't the first permanent settlement ...welcome to Jamestown, VA.

It felt like we were in Marty McFly's time travelling DeLorean when we arrived at Historic Jamestowne (they use an "e" on the end of the city's name when referring to old stuff), the date was May 14, 1607.  The passengers onboard the arriving ships  were not what you'd expect for a group of first settlers. Instead of sending farmers, hunters, laborers, military & medical personnel, over three quarters of the crew were gentlemen and their man servants. Greed, ambition, and being the first to discover new things or stake a claim on precious commodities was more of a priority than what it takes to create a thriving settlement.

The site of the original fort

In fact, this is the break down of what types of people were onboard the 3 ships that arrived into Jamestown, (the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery):

Occupation	#	%
Barber	1	1%
Blacksmith	1	1%
Drum	1	1%
Mason	1	1%
Preacher	1	1%
Sailer	1	1%
Surgeon	1	1%
Taylor	1	1%
Bricklayers	2	2%
Carpenters	6	6%
Labourers	12	11%
	28	27%
Boys	4	4%
Councell	6	6%
misc (most likely manservants)	19	18%
Gentlemen	48	46%
	77	73%

All I could think was "what if the surgeon wanted a day off, who would be his replacement?" Fortunately the Powhatan Indians were numerous, established in the area, and their leader was very influential and ruled over 30 tribes in the area (Pocahontas' father, Chief Powhatan, or Wahunsenacawh).  But as you can guess, this new friendship with the Indians was rather one sided and the Indians began to resent the needy, always hungry (it didn't help that Jamestown was in the middle of a 7 year drought at the time), and unmotivated group that could not sustain themselves for they had no skills and did not care for hard labor. The result, after a few months of landing; 51 died.

Other supply ships began arriving bringing food, more people (and yes, more Gentlemen) but also women as well. By 1609, the population of Jamestown rose to over 500 people, but as the drought & decimating Indian relations continued, by the end of 1610, only 61 people remained.

Peace with the natives was achieved in part through the kidnapping of Pocahontas in 1613, who later was married to colonist & tobacco tycoon, John Rolfe in 1614. Unfortunately for Pocahontas, she died 3 yrs later while visiting England.

With the passing of time, the population grew. By the 1620's (when the Mayflower was pulling into Plymouth), over 3,000 colonists were thriving & surviving.

WILLIAMSBURG, A LIVING HISTORY:

Just down the road from Jamestown is Williamsburg. A popular destination for people who want to turn back time and see what life was like in the 18th century, when Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia. Colonial Williamsburg comes complete with actors who roam the streets and provide tours of buildings giving you a first hand view of what life was like. 

The courthouse: actors, volunteers & audience!

We stopped in the courthouse to witness typical cases of the day. One interesting case was a soon to be married couple requesting a prenup. The judge explained that although prenups were not common, they are allowed in the courts and he went on to reaffirm both parties fully understood what it entailed. To agree to a prenup, a woman must give up her husband's legal protection. She relinquishes all duties that he must provide for her. For example, under Virginia law at the time, if a woman is found guilty of slandering someone, her husband must normally pay the penalty for her actions. In effect, the husband is a guardian & responsible for all of his wife's actions with the exception of murder (she would have to stand trial for it, not him!).

"Hey, I didn't sign a prenup!"

"That's more like it!"  :)

We listened to people who talked about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry.  We also toured a manor house that described life as a typical slave.  At the end of our touring I came to the conclusion that I definitely would not want to live in those times!

 

On board the US Wisconsin, check out them guns!!!

OTHER SITES:
We went to Norfolk and the Nauticus Museum to tour the naval yard & the battleship on display. The US Wisconsin was one of the largest and last battleships ever built by the US Navy. Serving for over 55 years, the Wisconsin had seen a lot of activity to say the least. 

The boat tour of the present day navy yard was 2 hrs long.  Our captain talked non stop throughout the voyage relaying facts & figures of all the vessels in port.  My brain was very full by the end of it! 



Naval ship tour

  

Closer to home we dusted off the bikes and cycled the 6 mile bike loop around our campsite. 


One section was on the border of the archery range with signs posted to not come any closer... even I peddled faster at that point...

One highlight for me was to experience VA cuisine...ie. dessert! I did not know that VA is known for their peanuts. Bigger, crunchier and tastier the locals told me. If you like peanuts then you'll have to catch the ferry and go to Surry for some peanut raisin pie. "Dave, grab the truck keys and let's go!"...

Sunset views from the ferry heading back after dinner

The drive to the ferry was scenic, we even managed to catch the ferry just before it left (although they run continuous every 20 min or so). There we found the restaurant and before even having my dinner, I ordered dessert. Why don't people do that more often? You spend less time worrying if you have room and get to enjoy the meal to it's fullest.  The pie looked like a pecan pie but with peanuts & raisins. It tasted great, I asked for the recipe and the owner just laughed at me..."good one"... what???  

and Dave didn't get a bite.....

The ferry

 

With our brains and belly's full, we are now heading West. The Shenandoah Mountains beckon....

19 - Washington D.C.

MONUMENTAL INDEED:

Touring Washington D.C. we were surprised (and pleased) with it's open plan layout. Unlike New York, there were no skyscrapers to be seen here. In fact there is a law that no building can be higher than 10 storys so that no building stands taller than the freedom statue on top of the Capitol Building. As one guide stated to us, "Nothing shall rise higher than freedom itself"...


 

Lincoln the Greek? Lincoln's Memomial is inside a parthenon like building which was purposely designed since the artist felt his image should be known as the one who defended democracy which originated in Greek times.

 MONUMENT MILE:



The Washington Monument was constructed in 2 different periods of time; 1848-1854 and 1877-1884, thereby taking 36 years to complete and using two different kinds/colors of stone, which can be seen in the change of color partway up. At over 550 feet tall, it is the world’s tallest stone structure.

Did you know: There is actually a set of stairs inside and an elevator. The elevator was used to carry materials during construction and was later modified to carry passengers. It was originally powered by steam and was for men only, being considered too dangerous for women, who were required to take the stairs, (897 steps).



Despite DC being a well planned out city, with lots of organized thought behind it, we found the drivers there had to be the worst we've ever experienced!!! It's not that they drive fast, but slow and no signalling, no merging sense, just not very "organized" or "efficient". We also heard the streets in the heart of the city are also very congested around rush hour too, good thing we arrived on the labor day weekend - no one will be around!

THE BIG CHEESE:

Hey is that the president smoking a cigar out on the balcony???

Our first "open top bus tour" day took us to all the monuments. We talked to a couple who said the day before they were in DC and were able to see President Obama out on the balcony of the White House for about a nano second before secret service ushered everyone away from the area. Driving by the White House it isn't uncommon to see snipers perched on the roof as part of regular security. What a life the president and his family must lead, not being able to do what many of us take for granted like stroll along your front yard, or have a private moment gazing over the balcony, without the shroud of security or the constant worry always in the back of your mind.  On the flip side, as "joe public" we too feel the wrath of overprotectiveness when we want to go to the same place as the president, who do you think wins that contest???

After touring the modern art exhibits, I left looking like this....what were they thinking?

On our second day we self toured several of the Smithsonian museums, including the Natural History museum and the National Gallery of Art, which were all free of charge. 

Stopping by the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, many waterfalls which symbolized his love for water (he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy in WWI)

Along the Pontomac river on our bikes

Location, location, location...it was interesting to learn many monuments were place in certain areas in the city for specific & symbolic reasons.

On our third day, we took the bikes on the metro (subway) and cycled along the riverbanks and stopped into the Spy Museum. Although the spy museum had a lot of information regarding the cold war period, I was kind of expecting more modern gadget style techno bells & whistles rather than the different types of listening devices (bugs). I guess James Bond had tainted my way of thinking and that I was expecting to see more of the inside of Q's labratory...The spy museum was a popular destination, quite crowded with many families (or were they really families or double agents "acting" like families???)....

Jefferson Memorial

We know Thomas Jefferson wrote & signed the Declaration of Independence & was the 3rd president, but did you also know he greeted people at the White House in a robe and slippers, made formal White House dinners more casual affairs - these things earned him the nickname "Man of the People," great intellect, learned several languages, often considered a very private man - he burned all the letters between himself and his wife after her death, a terrible money manager, was heavily in debt most of his life, including at his death!

After viewing all the monuments, I felt a little lacking; these men had done so much in their lifetimes and achieved greatness - what have I accomplished?... but then again, those were different times back then, but we must still reflect back and consider how we want to be remembered!

Why go to Disney when you can go to Cherry Hill Park?!?!

Our campsite, Cherry Hill, is the closest one to the capital city. Just 3 miles from the metro station (which is a 40 min train ride). The campsite conveniently has buses stopping there to take campers to the metro station. We chose to drive to the station, saving us the time waiting for a bus. The campsite grounds were very well laid out, there were many amenities offered, (swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, restaurant, meeting hall, laundry, games room, hiking trails, general store & rv parts, bus terminal, etc).  With all those perks came a healthy price tag, over $52 a night...one of our most expensive places to stay. I met one person staying for 3 weeks and he said they would not give him a discounted rate for staying that long...

 Dr. Martin Luther King, consisting of a mountainous block of granite, from which a large piece has been removed and on the face of it, a likeness carved of Dr. King. On the side reads: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope”. Behind the granite is a stone wall with excerpts from 16 of his speeches.

I can't hear you Dave, there's a flower growing out of my ear!



The heat and humidity was getting a little high for us (okay for me!), so we decided to move on, hoping for a reprieve -we decided to head where it all started for Americans...

18 - New York, NY

FROM ONE JUNGLE TO ANOTHER:

On the ferry leaving Liberty Island

After leaving the forested area of Maine we soon found ourselves in a forest of another kind... the concrete jungle, otherwise known as Manhattan!

Buildings upon buildings, competing with one another for skyline dominance. The architectural views were some of the of the most profound and pleasing we had seen - old world plaster & marble vs. modern steel & glass standing beside one another. Iconic skyscrapers and sky high rental rates (would you pay $5000 a month rent to live in downtown NY)?

Bird's eye views...

Our first day touring NY was by an open top tour bus. I like how you can get a general feel of a place and it's layout with these tours. Sometimes a little pricey but the hop on hop off system they operate by sure save the feet from having to do it all by themselves!

From The Museum of Modern Art, to The Guggenheim, to this, NY has it all!

Esthetically I have to say the Chrysler Building is one of my favorites.



Chrysler Building, built in 1930, 77 floors



It still is the tallest steel-supported brick building in the world

Emotionally, the World Trade Center site still evoked some strong feelings from 9/11. Both Dave & I were impressed with what has been completed to date. The replacement building is currently the tallest building in NY, scheduled to be completed by next year. The most impressive features are the Reflection Pools (North & South) commemorating those who died. Waterfalls cascade down all four sides of each pool, creating a special place for remembrance and reflection.





1 WTC - standing tall at 1776 feet, the year of American Independence







Reflection Pool with the names of those lost stenciled in bronze around it







RAZZ-A-MA-TAZ:

Times Square!

The tail end of our open top tour led us to Broadway, and all things sparkly. Tempted to see a matinee only to be disappointed we were too late and since it was a Sunday, the next ones would be the following weekend (when we would not be there). Catalina would not be too pleased with us if we considered staying late to see a show. Another factor was that even though during the day traveling by public transport was safe(train & bus), we weren't too keen to do it at night.

IN SEARCH FOR THE NAKED COWBOY:

What I came to see....

An icon for over a decade is another reason to check out Times Square. The naked cowboy has been showing off his tidy whitey's, boots, hat & guitar (and that's all) for well over a decade. On our visit we were greeted by a female version... now I have to also state that only in New York city it is legal to go topless...well what do you think? should they change that law???

What we saw instead....

DID SOMEONE SAY NY PIZZA?

I had been told that Chicago and NY pizza are a must. Both are totally different and both are delicious. To test this "theory" we found ourselves in Little Italy, (which is now only one street because Chinatown is taking over). There we found a place that sold by the slice and I have to admit, it was very tasty indeed. Unfortunately no picture of my slice since I gobbled it down before Dave could get the camera out!

Little Italy, my quest for NY pizza pie....


Our last stop was to Liberty Island, to visit you know who...





Our campsite was located about 40 miles West of NYC, in Jersey. Mahlon Dickerson Reservation has only 18 campsites in it's 3200 acres of wilderness. At only $20 a night, we almost had the place to ourselves, not even half full. The campsites were generously spaced out. We stayed for 4 days, figuring 2 days in NY and 2 days hiking around the area. It didn't take long to see wildlife at our campsite; the first morning we were there we saw a black bear "moseying" along the road in front of our trailer (50 feet away). From our past experience hiking in bear country, our first purchase that day was bear spray...and a bell! (with only the 2 of us, and no friends to join us as bear bait, a little noise couldn't hurt).  

Similar to our sighting (from the same campsite) from another camper

Fortunately the bell did the trick and no encounters while on the trails, (and no need to use the spray). Hiking with Catalina was great fun, she wanted to explore everything and had so much energy. It was good to see how much she enjoyed herself with us.

Water break...oh wait, if I lie in it, it feels SOOOO much better!

NEXT STOP?

Our next destination will be Washington D.C.