We dawdled this morning before heading to DC to see the Mall and the memorials. We checked early (around 9:30) and there was still parking available at Vienna/Fairfax Metrorail Station, but by the time we got there (after 11:00) all lots were full. So we headed on in to West Falls Church Station and managed to get the last parking spot in the parking garage. That's a lot of cars; Fairfax has 5,169 spaces and West Falls Church has over 2,000. Tomorrow we should head out earlier. So anyway, we got to the station and a very nice lady showed us [View Full Entry]

---

---

Finishing up Skyline Drive, we passed a large group of young people on bicycles heading south and spread out over several miles. They were all wearing the same bicycle shirts so we guessed they were all together. We met a bicyclist heading north who flagged us down. He had 2 flat tires and wanted a lift to the final Visitor Center to pick up his car. We managed to make room for his bike and himself and enjoyed his company for the 30 miles or so he rode with us. After leaving Shenandoah National Park we headed east on I-66, stopping [View Full Entry]

---

---

Continuing north on the Blue Ridge Parkway, we stopped at the James River Visitor Center and walked around some. Next we stopped at Yankee Horse Ridge to see Wigwam Falls. When we stopped at Humpback Rocks Visitor Center they were setting up for a musical afternoon, but we were there only for a stamp on my National Park Passport and a sticker that read "I drove the entire Blue Ridge Parkway." Then it was on to Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park. We stopped at Loft Mountain for fuel and while I was getting my passport stamped, we watched two [View Full Entry]

---

---

We continued north on the Blue Ridge Parkway into Virginia. What a beautiful drive. The Parkway connects the Great Smoky Mountains NP in North Carolina with the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. But don't expect it to be the quickest route, because that is definitely not its purpose. With a maximum speed limit of 45 mph, it is meant to be savored. It's a perfect road for motorcyclists and for those happy to get away from the superhighways. With its multitude of scenic overlooks and grand vistas winding through beautiful forests, it's a peaceful and refreshing drive. No commercial ve [View Full Entry]

---

---

Another Pull Up the Blankets night. That's good sleeping weather. Tom and Brenda came by for a few minutes this morning before we closed up the camper and headed out. We stopped at Looking Glass Waterfall, just a few miles up the road from the campground. We continued on the Blue Ridge Parkway, stopping at overlooks and the Destination Center in Asheville. At Linville Falls, we walked down to the overlook and saw the smaller falls, and the big falls that spiral down through a narrow gorge. Very pretty. As we continued on the Parkway, we had not one, but two [View Full Entry]

---

---

The stream sang us a lullaby last night and we slept very well, though it got cool enough for us to pull up the blankets. We drove south through the Great Smoky Mountains NP on 441 to Cherokee, NC, where we picked up the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stopped at several overlooks, which are plentiful, but it was pretty hazy and we couldn't see far. We were lucky to get a campsite at Davidson River Campground in Pisgah Natl Forest near Brevard. After buying a few groceries, we called Kerry's childhood friend, Tom. Tom's wife, Brenda, came over and led us [View Full Entry]

---

---

We all slept very well last night and broke camp this morning uneventfully. We went the wrong way upon leaving the park, but just called it a sightseeing detour and went on our way. We went through Soddy-Daisy, Dayton, and Athens, towns I hadn't been through in many years. They've grown a bit. We got on the Foothills Parkway and headed toward Townsend. We intended to go south from Wear Valley to our campground in the Great Smoky Mountains Natl Park, but never saw the road and ended up in Pigeon Forge with all its tourist traps and traffic. We later [View Full Entry]

---

---

This morning started out poorly. Kerry got up early and researched our problem on the net with less than encouraging results. At 8AM he started calling local RV dealers. No one answered at one, another told him they couldn't work on Jayco campers, another didn't open until 10. He called a Jayco dealer in Knoxville, but no answer there either, and no call backs from the messages he left. Finally, he realized he hadn't called Northgate RV. They said they could probably fix it, but couldn't guarantee they'd get it done today. So we dropped the camper off there, hoping for [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hello, all. We're on the road with our camper again, this time bringing our grandson, Ethan, along. As seems to be our habit, we've started another trip with screwups. We were about 2/3 of the way to Chattanooga when Kerry realized we forgot to take the meats we had purchased for our first few days out of the freezer. We will have some nice meals to look forward to when we get back home. And it's no problem to buy more, there are grocery stores on nearly every corner it seems. We got to Chester Frost County Park in Hixson, TN, [View Full Entry]

---

---

We're home at last and everything is green and lush. It has rained since we arrived. The grass is knee high, but it's too wet to mow, so that will give us a chance to relax a little. Michael came over last night and had supper with us. It was so good to see him; now we can't wait to see David, Misty, Sara and the grandkids. We had a couple of incidents in our last hundred miles. First, we heard a flapping noise that we weren't sure was coming from our vehicle. We stopped for gas and discovered that the [View Full Entry]

---

---