Home Sweet Home

Well we went ahead and drove for ten hours and made it home Thursday evening on April 26th at about 6:00 pm.  Then we had to unload the motorcycle put the 5th wheel in the garage and off load things we needed to take to the house.  In Tennessee and Kentucky we were going up and down the mountains and I told Janet I sure would be glad once we get into Ohio and Indiana.  I didn't know what I was asking for.  The wind was terrible.  It was so windy that we were following semi trucks and trailers where we could see the entire side of the trailer from behind it.  The back of the trailer was a foot over compared to the truck and front of the trailer.  The trucks were really struggling to stay on the road.  While it bothered us to some degree believe it or not even in the wind our truck and 5th wheel and swivel wheel trailer handled pretty good.  I wasn't having near the problems the semis were having staying on the road.  The only thing that really suffered for us was the gas mileage.  Pulling the 5th wheel we usually average 9 -12 mpg depending on the wind, the speed we are going, road conditions (flat versus mountains), how we are loaded and are we pulling the motorcycle behind the 5th wheel or not.  I was going 67 mph for much of the way home through Ohio and Indiana into the wind and our mileage dropped to under 9 miles per gallon. That was less than we averaged in Tennessee and Kentucky even with going up and down the mountains.  Going 67 mph versus say 62 mph also makes a big difference even though it's only 5 mph. It being so windy didn't help matters especially with our 5th wheel.  As you may have noticed in some of our pictures there is nothing aerodynamic about our 5th wheel so your mileage really suffers when you are heading into a wind.

Being home again is very nice and kind of like a vacation from being in the 5th wheel.  We plan on staying around the house for the next few weeks and then may take off and go out west somewhere or maybe even go down to Louisiana.  We don't  have any definite plans at this point; but we know it won't be New England since we did that last summer.  As far as next winter goes we plan on leaving in October with reservations starting November 1st but we don't know for sure yet where we are going.  On November 1, 2011 we made reservations for Gulf State Park in Alabama for November 1, 2012 through April 2013.  If your planning on staying for the winter you need to make reservations a year in advance just to get into this park.  We stayed there for a week in January of 2011 and really enjoyed the park and the area being right on the Gulf of Mexico.  However, while in Florida we checked out several other RV parks and found one near the ocean and a really nice small town that we also really liked.  According to their policy we were supposed to have heard if they had any openings on April 1st.  Then the first part of April they said some of the current residents, who get first choice, haven't decided whether they are coming back or not and need a couple more weeks before deciding.  We're about at the point of telling them we are not interested even if they do call. The main advantage of this park over Gulf State Park is it's normally around 10 degrees warmer.  The downside is the traffic and the price compared to Gulf State Park.   Also, I keep telling Janet "I'm too young to be this old (59) and too damn young for Florida during the winter.  Oh well, we will see what happens. 

We will start blogging again when we take off again later this summer.  Hope you enjoyed learning about our travels.  Email us at jdjl@comcast.net if you would like to contact us for any reason.  We would be glad to hear from you.  We know at various times there is a fairly diverse group of people reading the blog from countries all over the world so let us know if there is anything you don't understand or would like to know more about.

Have a great day,

Jack & Janet

Riding around the TN Mountains

On Wednesday it was overcast again so we decided to get lost in the mountains away from the touristy spots.  Some of the roads we were on were about a car and a half wide so thankfully we didn't meet much oncoming traffic.  One thing we did stumble upon was the factory that produces Bush's baked beans in a small town called Chestnut, Tennessee.  The visitor center is the original site of the A.J. Bush General Store that was opened in 1897.  Bush's just happens to be our favorite variety of baked beans.  The visitor center has a very nice welcome center in the original store that houses a theater showing a movie explaining the baked bean making process but we were too late to see that.  It's nice to know the factory where they are made is just the type of place I would hope they were manufactured in.. Like many things we happen upon I do the research later to learn more about the company or town we visited.  I learned a lot about the A.J. Bush Company.

In 1904 A.J Bush started a canning company with the Stokely Brothers in Tennessee.    In 1908 Andrew Jackson Bush bought out his partners and the A.J. Bush Company was founded with his two sons.  The company was incorporated in 1922 and grew quickly until a set back occurred in 1943.  That year the Tennessee Valley Authority seized the major Tennessee plant by eminent domain and flooded all of the Bush farmland which resulted in a hugh reservoir.  One year later the company purchased an Arkansas based canning company.  In 1993 the company reached nationwide distribution status and is today's top selling brand of baked beans in the nation.  The television advertisements usually feature Jay Bush,  the great grandson of Andrew, along with his golden retriever Duke.  Duke is always trying to give up the family recipe which is a closely guarded family secret.  Other great grandsons include Kristian Duke, of the country band Sugarland, and his brother Brandon Duke who plays the keyboard for Sugarland.  You learn something new everyday.

 Not much else to report.  Today we are doing laundry, cleaning the black tank, and just getting things ready for our trip home tomorrow.  It will probably take us two days to get home since we don't like to travel more than four or five hours per day.  Here are some pictures from yesterday.



This is where Janet said "paddle faster I hear banjo music".   You have to have watched the movie Deliverance to get this.



Winding it down.....

While I thoroughly enjoyed staying in one place for three months I did not enjoy our chosen campground in Florida as we had anticipated.  Our campsite was way too small; the dogs did not have any grassy place to call their own.  We couldn't cookout without our neighbors being the brunt of our grill smoke. The bike trail that drew us to the park in the first place was not accessible from the campground.  Bikes had to be loaded and taken to the trail heads. We could have done that anywhere.  Had it not been for our neighbors at the park I have no doubt Jack and I would have packed up our RV after a week or so and went on down the road a piece. 

Having said that it's been a long and interesting rode home since our departure from Beverly Hills, Florida April 1, 2012. And we're not there yet.  Of course, when we start heading home the weather up North turns to crap.  As does the weather here in Sevierville, TN.  It only made it in to the 50's here today. Along with the gloom of rain clouds hanging around all day, it's been a VACA day, as Jack calls it.  I like these days once in awhile.  Catch up on emails, blogs, old movies, etc. Jack can watch golf to his heart's content and I get to watch the Sunday marathon of Snapped. 
 
Thank goodness Jack has kept you all posted on our whereabouts and travels.  I do admit I've been lazy in the blogging department.  I'll only make a few comments on our adventures.

Loved Pine Mountain. Enjoyed seeing FDR's little White House. I never understood why Eleanor seldom visited this home (saw the FDR movie years ago) until our tour and Jack's subsequent research on FDR.  FDR's secretary/assistant was also his mistress and shared the house with him and had an adjacent bedroom to his. When Eleanor did visit she had her own bedroom on the other side of FDR's.  What a pig!  Now, granted Mr. President was a good looking man and did great things for America, of that I do not disagree but geez!   The mistress secret, along with him being in a wheelchair, was well hidden until after his death.

The campground in Chattanooga, Tennessee was one of the most scenic and peaceful places we've ever stayed. The view from every window of the RV was beautiful.  I enjoyed every aspect of our visit to Chattanooga.  Knowing that so many men lost their lives in that area during the Civil War though, was quite sad.

On our last day in Chattanooga we decided to do the Duck tour.  I loved it.  Our Duck tour guide, who was also the owner was a native of Chattanooga, shared stories with his passengers that I'm sure you'll never find in any history book.   For example; in 1998 he and his wife were in the market to buy their first home. Their Realtor called them with a very tempting offer.  A house on the north side of Chattanooga had just come on the market for only $19,000.00.  They declined.  The north side of the river in Chattanooga during those years was a neighborhood flavored with drugs and prostitution.  Today, that same house is worth well over $250,000.00.  You can certainly see the purposefully reinvention of Chattanooga has been a huge success.  The walking bridge that Jack and I walked across the 1st day (and got caught in the rain) was destined for demolition.  However, three widowed women from Look Out Mountain (old money) decided to pool their resources and save the old bridge and turn it in to a walking bridge for the locals.  It is a stunning piece of old construction and architect and  beautifully landscaped along the way with colorful flowers, ornate lights and numerous benches and now is a huge tourist attraction.  I believe Jack shared with you the details of the bridge.

After our tour we chose to try one of the local restaurants recommended to us by the Duck guide. It was in the artsy fartsy college section of Chattanooga. Here are some of the pics I snapped that evening:
 

 We chose a place called Tony's, a pasta restaurant that made their own pasta every morning.  While the food was okay, Olive Garden's pasta dishes are much tastier.  But the entertainment made the whole dinner worth every penny. 

When we walking through the courtyard of the local eateries we noticed some belly dancers at another restaurant entertaining their customers. They were very good and young.  I guess they didn't like the food there because it wasn't long before they were seated a few tables from us. 

Normally this wouldn't be worth mentioning. But what I found interesting is the reaction of some of the patrons in the restaurant.  There were 5 old men sitting to the right of us.  If they had a good heart between them it would be a miracle. And I'm sure there was a hip or knee replacement in several of these old coots.

When these belly dancers walked in I swear to you I had my cell phone in hand expecting the need to call 911 for one of these old fools.  It was if I was watching some high school guys drool over the homecoming queen. I wanted to puke.  What I really wanted to do was get up and schmuck them over the head with their bread sticks and tell them to get a grip.  Even if they had a chance in hell of "hooking up" with one of the belly dancers they wouldn't have the brain power or any other kind of power to do anything with them.  And having my picture on this blog drives me totally crazy but Jack just happened to snap my picture as I was giving these "old gents" a look. It should say it all.  "Really, guys? Seriously?"

Just a few more pics of our dinner and downtown Chattanooga.  

And lastly today......

I felt very blessed to have been witness to the wild bears we've seen in the Smokey's this visit.  I have never, ever seen a bear in the wild and at a distance it was exhilarating.  Today though my heart finally returned to a normal beat pattern after an hour or so of our close encounter with one bear.  We were traveling the Cade's Cove loop and after talking to one Ranger who informed us that no bears had been sighted in that area today I was a little bummed.  But soon forgot about it as we drove the remaining Cade's Cove loop,  enjoying the beauty of the mountains.  We meandered slowly down the road seeing what we could see taking in the peace of the environment.  Suddenly, I saw something black out of the corner of my eye.  My head turned to Jack's side of the truck. What I saw stopped my heart for a second.  I could barely breathe.  "Jack," I said urgently, "there is a bear!"  He turns to his window and asked, "Where?" "Right in front of you!" I wanted to scream but was afraid I'd scare the bear and he'd come through the window at us.  The bear was eye level to our truck window.  If he'd gotten angry one swipe of his front paw would have come harmfully close to Jack's face. Jack says quietly but frantically, "Get me the camera!"  I was shaking so badly by this time I didn't have the sense of mind to take the cap off of the lense or even turn the camera on for him.  Jack rolled up the window. I breathed a sigh of relief.  But then he got the camera turned on and rolled the window down again.  I began to hyperventilate.  Later, like the idiot tourist we are, we laughed about how close the bear was to our window. Jack remarked that the bear could have come in the window after us had he wanted to. I'm like, "No, he would have come after you but I guarantee you I'd been out my door in a heartbeat."

And as Jack shared we saw another bear before we left the loop. I thought he captured some really cool pictures.  The ranger, while trying to shoo the bear from the road, chased him our direction at one point.  We were standing in the road, Jack and others snapping pictures and others, like me, just taking in the moment.  However, when the bear turned in our direction I remember vaguely  mowing down a couple of children and a few old ladies in my attempt to get back to the truck. Didn't care. 

But all ended well. 

We are leaving here Thursday staying one night along the way and should return to Warsaw Friday.  My gosh how the time has flown.

Our Second Visit to the Smokies Cade's Cove

Yesterday we vegged out the entire day in the 5th wheel since it was cold and rainy.  The forecast for today was supposed to be cloudy with a high of about 59 degrees.  After getting up and taking the dogs out etc. we went out for breakfast then headed to Gatlinburg before traveling the 21 miles or so to Cade's Cove.  Our hope for the day was to hike to a waterfall and then just see some beautiful scenery.  We had no expectations of topping our bear sightings from Saturday.  However, totally by accident we came almost close enough to a bear to touch it.  I believe in keeping my distance when it comes to watching bears so no accidents could happen that would endanger our lives or the bears.  I know from reading literature and signs around the park that whenever a bear harms a human in the Smokie Mountain National Park the bear is euthanized.  Even though the human is the one chasing the bear through the woods.  Today we were driving slowly around the scenic loop of Cade's Cove when Janet said "Jack there's a bear"  and she is looking right at me and out my driver side window.  I thought she meant there was a bear on my side of the truck out into the woods so I put on the brakes and asked her to hand me the camera.  I then turned to look out my side window to find the bear.  I didn't need to look too long since the bear was on the side of the road almost eye level to me around  four to five feet away eating berries or something off of a plant.  I have been to the Smokey Mountains probably 10 times and have seen many bears there over the last 50 years but I have never seen a bear this close. If I would have known the bear was there I would not have driven up beside him.  This bear was so close it was hard to take pictures because I kept thinking that if he decided to come into the truck he could do it before I could drive away or do anything to stop him.  In any event he paid no attention to us as he kept gathering and eating the berries. I did take about five pictures before moving on so others coming up behind us could have a chance to see him.  Later in the day we saw another bear walking through the woods near the road and were able to get a few pictures of that bear also. 

Below are pictures of the waterfall we hiked up the mountain to see where, by the way it was snowing when we got up toward the top.  We also spent some time by a stream that had some nice rapids that made for some nice pictures.

Two weeks ago Huli complained about how hot it was.  Today she complained but not about the heat.



Just a couple of turkies like us



These mountains show the snow up in the higher elevations

Gabe and Jason.  When it's time to do the deed its past the Methodist and Baptist Church on the Cades Cove scenic loop road to the large meadow.  There is a small circular parking lot on the left side of the road.  Anywhere close will do.

This is the first bear we saw today.  He was at the edge of the road on top of an embankment so he was at eye level.  These pictures were taken without using the zoom lens.  I am not sure where the lens was set but the bear was five feet away in all of these except for the last one.  After we took these pictures we went to the stream up the dirt road and cleaned out our pants.



This one is as he is leaving the edge of the road



Huli, are they clean now?

 

This is the second bear we saw later in the day after we did some hiking and made a stop at the Visitor Center for our refrigerator magnet.   



Are you looking at me???

Yes , you are looking at me.



Awesome rock



I believe this my second or third day in 2012 for wearing long pants.