OK, So it's Kinda Like Camping...

Before Jeff and I embarked on this adventure, we traveled by car and cheap hotel for a couple months.  One of our trips was through the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina.  It was absolutely amazing; up and down the mountains, back and forth through the switchbacks.  At that time, Jeff said he wouldn't want to drive a big RV through that route, the switchbacks were so tight he would worry about it fitting.

Well, we came pretty darn close to that with our trip to Big South Fork in Tennessee.  There weren't quite so many switchbacks, but there were enough to make Jeff pay attention.  Once we arrived at Big South Fork, he could breath easy because we were going to stay for a full week; he didn't have to think about leaving for a few days.

The area was beautiful!!!  Completely amazing and the campground was at the top of the mountain.  A few TV channels and great internet signal.  This was all good, because I really couldn't leave the campground.  There was no way I could navigate those roads in the PT Cruiser, so even though Jeff could ride right out of the campground, I couldn't go anywhere.  Also, the nearest town was 15 miles in either direction down the mountain...and they were verrrrryyyyy small towns.

The campground did not have sewers, so we had to be especially conservative in our water use to avoid filling our tanks too quickly.

The campground showers were OK, not great (remember, I am a citified, spoiled brat).  They were clean but the walk back to the RV got a bit chilly.

There were signs warning us about bears everywhere, but we actually saw far less wildlife here than anywhere else we had been.  I did, however, have a close encounter with a bat. lol.

On the days Jeff didn't ride, he took me to town to do laundry, have a nice meal and a date.  What do you do in a teeny, tiny town for a date?  You go bowling!!!!  It was a lot of fun, just a long drive.  He also drove me to the parking lot for an amazing overlook.

One of the last nights we were there, we decided to go to dinner at a restaurant we had passed on our way to one of the small towns.  The place was named "Baraca's" and is a true jewel in the middle of nowhere.  They do no advertising and are tucked back out of the way.  The building is pretty unassuming and they have no liquor license, but are happy to pour your wine or beer for you.  This is probably the best meal I have had in years as well as a great value.  The chef should be on the Food Network.  There is soup, salad and rolls served with every entree and everything is freshly made.  Salad dressings and bread made daily.  The butter was blended with orange zest for a great citrus complement.  The soup was a cheesy potato that was so light with citrussy overtones, to complement the butter.  I had no idea potato soup could be light!!!  Jeff had cedar planked salmon with fresh Parmesan and I had the wienershnitzel with homemade spaetzle.   We were stuffed, and it was so awesome!!!!

I was kind of isolated in Tennessee, but I loved it.  It was so beautiful. I could spend the afternoons sitting outside reading, we cooked on the open fire and I got some work done.  I also spent some time playing the psaltery that I picked up in Alabama.

It was almost like camping...I might eventually be able to camp...nah, not me!

'Bama Folks are Darn Friendly Folks

OK, I admit it, I am an opinionated. citified Northern snob and I was afraid of going to Alabama and camping in a "real"campground.  We were driving up from Tallahassee to Birmingham on Saturday, March 23.  That Friday, I received an email from one of our best friends (in the whole, wide world), Tom, that he had his family were taking an impromptu trip to Birmingham to spend a couple days with his wife's sister.  I completely freaked out!  Another Jersey person coincidentally crosses our path!  Tom and his family, JoAnne, Jessi and Jake are some of the most awesome people in the world.  JoAnne's sister Laura and her husband Glenn very kindly invited us to dinner on Sunday. BTW, they are both celebrated pastry chefs, so dinner, especially dessert, was mouth-watering.   We had met Laura and Glenn previously and knew that they were great people.  It was really comforting to me to know that we would see people I felt comfortable with in this “foreign” state.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to revise my opinion within 3 minutes of arriving at our campsite. While we were looking for a site, this man came up and offered to hold our spot by the river for us while we registered.  When registering, the clerk (Stephanie) at Tannehill was warm and welcoming.  She made sure we had everything we needed and knew where everything was located.  She invited me back to chat with her later in the week.  It didn't hurt that Jeff was being particularly sweet and charming.  I think he was as in love with this place as a grown man can be with land.

After we set up camp, Jeff left to find the man who held our site for us and to go get firewood. About an hour and a half later, I started wondering where he had gone.  I looked out the window, and there he is, a few sites down, yapping up a storm and feeding his face.  I wandered down and met the friendliest bunch of people I think I have ever encountered. I warned them that since they had fed Jeff, he would keep coming back like a stray dog.  Ronnie was so funny and warm.  His wife, Dawn, would’ve fed the whole campground if you let her, I think. They had several friends there, along with their daughter, Megan.  When I thanked Ronnie, for holding our spot,his reply was, “It ain’t nothin’ darlin’. We’re all campers here.”  It sticks in my mind clearly because this is the way he treated everything in his life.

Ronnie and his family only lived half an hour away, but spent half the year camping at Tannehill. They had such love and enthusiasm for the lifestyle, it was contagious.  When we left, they all gave me a great big hug, and you all know how I love hugs!!!

Our best friends and our new friends, all in one place!!!  Amazing!

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

While the campground had enough history to make me happy for a while, we did take a day and venture into Birmingham to the Civil Rights Museum.  I knew that Alabama was one of the last bastions of the Jim Crow laws, but I did not realize that Birmingham itself was the "last bastion".  So I am unsure if it is ironic or fitting that the Civil Rights Institute is located there.

The Institute is located directly across the street from the 16^thStreet Baptist Church and Kelly Ingram Park, both historic scenes from the1960s.  Most of the Institute is dedicated to the civil rights struggle of the US in the 1950s and 1960s.  The top floor, however, is reserved primarily for other civil rights struggles throughout the world, including gay rights,Darfur, Tianmen Square, Poland, and Guantanamo Bay.  I felt it demonstrated that no matter how far we as a society have come, there is always more work to do.

The Institute is organized in an unusual way.  The exhibits follow a spiral from the first floor up to the second in chronological order. The atmosphere also goes from quite dark to bright daylight at the top.  I am unsure if it was intentional,but it seems to be a reflection of our society with regard to American Civil Rights.
Birmingham is very straightforward about their history.  They don’t sugarcoat it, nor are they apologetic.  It simply is what it was.

I learned that one of the true heroes of the civil rights movement was Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, Jr.  He was associated with Dr. King and suffered many of the same indignities.  He was a Birmingham minister and was significant in bringing them into a new age.

The trip to the Institute was very moving, but I was left pretty depressed by it.  To think that these atrocities occurred in my lifetime reminds me of how vicious and cruel humans are to each other.  I now believe more than ever in Random Acts of Kindness.

Camping Amid History

We spent a week near Birmingham, Alabama at the Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park.  Jeff wanted to ride the IMBA epic at Oak Mountain State Park, but we were unable to get into the park for camping.  This was about a half hour away, but I am sooo glad we found it!

Tannehill Ironworks was the site of one of the last battles of the Civil War.  On April 8, 1865, the North took over the Ironworks, which supplied most of the forged and milled metal for the South.  General Lee surrendered at Appomatox the next day and President Lincoln was assassinated one week later, so the news of this battle dropped through the cracks.

The furnace (although run-down) is still standing in the park, along with many of the other ironworks outbuildings.  The state has also moved many other Civil War era building to the park.  The Iron and Steel Museum of Alabama is also located on the premises.

On the weekends, craft cabins open and locals share their knowledge and sell their wares.  My particular favorite was the instrument maker and yes, I now own a bowed psaltery!!!  Jeff spent a couple hours with the blacksmiths.  We saw everything from the start of their fires to the creation of some tools.  Jeff now has a sparker and tinder box for which to achieve his matchless fire!

The campground itself was gorgeous, although a little crowded.  Jeff found us a campsite right alongside the river.  So peaceful and serene.

I would urge anyone who likes history to check out the Tannehill Ironworks if you are ever in the Birmingham area.  Admission to the park is only $3 and the museum itself is $2.  One of the least expensive sight-seeing trips you can have!

And to think we almost missed this! How serendipitous!!!

Tallahassee Tales...or is it Tails?

The second day of Tallahassee sightseeing was the Tallahassee Museum.  I surprised Jeff because the museum is an outdoor museum. As we all now know, I am not an outdoorsy person.

Through the whole time at the museum, I missed my daughter,son-in-law and grandkids.  This was the kind of place to hold a family reunion.  There was a display of native Florida wildlife in as close to their natural habitat as you are going to get in today’s society.  They had animal demonstrations with experts that brought different animals out to show (geared to children, so I loved it).  The one we saw was an owl who was at the habitat because he had a broken wing…very cool to see so close.

There was also a general store that was set up as if it was part of a turpentine distillery camp. The display on the back-breaking work involved in making turpentine was fascinating.  The labor camps pretty much made indentured servants of all the laborers and their families.

What really made me miss my family were the Tree to Tree Adventures zip-line courses.  They had them for all ages and levels of ability and I could just see my son-in-law,Sean, howling through the jungle-like vegetation.  I think my grandkids would have loved the ones for the kids as well.  Derek would have been all cool and nonchalant, Dylan would have whaled all over the trees and Deanna would have completely been out of control.  I would love to go back with them someday.

Another aspect that I loved was that there was a path of dinosaur sculptures made out of auto parts. I think Jeff and I took pictures of each one.  The artist was a native to Tallahassee, Jim Gary.  He has since passed on, but left a legacy that families will enjoy for years.

Because it was spring break, there were a good number of families at the museum that day.  I heard one woman talking to her children and it reminded me of my friend, Amy.  She is one of the most amazing women and is one of the most dedicated mothers I have ever met.  This woman was turning all the fun things at the museum into teaching experiences for her children and they had no clue how much they were learning!  Amy would do that effortlessly.

As you can tell, there are lots of people I am missing.  Some friends of ours were in Tallahassee, but we didn’t manage to cross paths.  Rain was a ‘coming and it was time for us to hightail it out of there to Birmingham,Alabama.

Tallahassee Tales

The internet connection (lack thereof) last week got me behind on posting, as well as on work.  Being the responsible nut job that I am, I got my work caught up before getting serious about posting.

We spent a week in Tallahassee, the capital of Florida.  It was as if we were in a completely different part of the country from Jacksonville, Tampa and Ocala.  The folks in Tallahassee were much more of what we "Yanks" have come to expect of the Deep South.  There were lots of "Sirs" and "Ma'ams" and friendly, polite people with the Southern drawl that I have always associated with Alabama, Missouri, etc.

The odd thing was that the campground (Big Oak RV Park) was beautiful and had bells and whistles like fast internet and cable but the people were not as friendly as most we have encountered on our journey.  They were nice, just not so outgoing.

Since we were there so long, we actually spent two full days sight-seeing.  The first day, we went to see the Tallhassee historic capitol.  The city (state?) has restored it to its 1902 appearance, as much as possible using the original fixtures and materials.  It stands directly in front of the current capitol building which is an extremely modern, 22 story building with an observation deck on the 22nd floor. 

I had no little knowledge about much of Florida's history other than regarding St. Augustine, the Everglades and the impact of Mr. Walt Disney.  The historic capitol provided tons of information, not just about Tallahassee but the state's struggles as a whole.  I knew there was a strong Spanish influence but I guess I forgot all about the French and Indian War.  I am now re-educated.  I would encourage any visitors to Tallahassee to take the time to tour the historic capitol as well as go to the Observation Deck of the new one.

About halfway through our tour, we decided to look for some lunch.  The National Guard had a pretty good sized display set up in the courtyard between the two capitol buildings.  We walked through that on our way in (we both love military vehicles).  While we were looking at a map trying to figure out where to have lunch, the nicest man came up and offered to help.  He was dressed very professionally and had a Southern accent, but not the strong drawl of many of the locals.  Not only was he helpful in steering us where to get some food, he was so knowledgeable about the history and the current status of the state legislature that I wonder if he was a legislator.  He even told us where to go to see the Senate and House and described the differences in their chambers to us (Senators have a much cushier environment).  I will always regret that I didn't ask him what his position was....and yes, he was very good looking.  The rest of the time we were in Tallahassee, I kept waiting for him to pop up on the news, ha ha.

I love that Jeff has the patience to take me to these places.  I love history so much and my brain is like so much Swiss cheese lately, that all of this is a good refresher course for me.

The Challenges Arrived!

One of our reasons for taking this journey was because I was not managing my stress well and it was making me more and more sick. We hoped a change of pace would help. We knew there would be challenges, but I was starting to get nervous because everything was going so well. Typical response for a neurotic woman.

Well we found our challenges over the course of the last week. It started in Birmingham with the slowest Internet connection I have experienced in years. My job, which normally takes me about 25 hours a week took a little over 40 just to do the bare minimum. Made me nuttier than usual. It also made it really tough to work on the blogs for both Jeff and I.

It was a great campground with lots of friendly people and lots off history within the campground itself. It was a real campground, as opposed to some of the RV campgrounds (resorts) we have been at.  As much as I love the smell of a wood fire, the smoke totally overwhelmed me and made me sick for a couple days.

We went to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, a very moving museum, but also very depressing. I carried that with me for a couple days.

We encountered a few other challenges yesterday. Our black water tank didn't want to dump into the sewer. For those of you unaware (as I was until 2 months ago), that's the tank that holds our toilet waste. We really didn't want to take it with us because we knew the next campground didn't have sewers at each site. YUCKY!!!

We also were really low on propane, which fuels our fridge, stove and heat. I conserved by making simpler meals, but that took away one of my stress relievers, cooking.

The last challenge came as we approached our next campground. When we were about 50 miles away, we started noticing a reduction in cell service. We feared the worst for an internet connection.  We entered the Appalachian mountains with a lot of steep grades, narrow roads and multiple switchbacks. It was getting close to sunset and our rig is reeeaaaallly long. My IPad was out of juice and it was getting dark or I would have taken some impressive pictures. I will have to get some later.

The point of this post is that we met our challenges, I managed my stress and the world didn't come to an end. I spent a couple days away from the smoke and felt better. I put the museum experience in perspective. Jeff used some tricks our salesman, Jon Beresford, taught him and deposited our wastes in the sewer. Thank you, Jon! We filled up on propane when we got diesel so we had heat last night and I am back to cooking!!! Jeff did great on the hills and we are in a beautiful campground (although isolated).  We are on top of a mountain and the internet connection is great, considering we are so far away  from anything.

WE CAN DO THIS!!! And I never once thought about giving in! Jeff talked through my anxieties with me and our life is rolling on!  Jeff keeps me going.  He "gets" my neuroses and has dealt with them for so long, he keeps me sane.  I don't know what I would do without him.  I'm pretty sure my life would suck.