HOW-DEE!!!

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Howdy from Hurricane Mills, TN. I’m semi officially on “Tulsa Time”. I’m in central time, but haven’t reset my watch but will before I call it a night.

Had a very smooth and uneventful 1st day. Covered 369 miles today and arrived at the campground just before 4 pm local time (CDT).

This KOA campground caters more to folks who are passing through. Many stay only one night. As you will see in the attached photos, they simply start up at the end of a row of pull thru spots and then fill in down the line. Our “toads” stick out a little but no one is going to be driving behind us.

As I was setting up, I talked with the neighbor on one side of me. They are from Dunn, NC and he is retired Army. They’ve been to Alaska twice for the summer and now are on their way to Cody, WY. Interesting they don’t have a toad. They rent a car when they want to in places they are staying and sightseeing. Didn’t even take a toad when they went to Alaska the 2nd time (first time was in a 5th wheel).

Then I visited with a couple on the other side who are from Terrell, TX (30 miles east of Dallas). They have been RVing for one year and are on their way to NC. So I gladly told them some must see things to do in Asheville, the Outer Banks, and Boone (GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN). They like KOA campgrounds so I told them to tell my friends at the Boone KOA I said hello!

When I walked over to the office, I chatted with a couple from Montgomery, TX (which I learned is the birthplace of the Lone Star Flag of Texas!) a little north of Houston. They are on their way to the Canadian eastern Maritime Provinces and are meeting up with a group of 18 RVers in a caravan. Of course they are working their way slowly there and then back down the east coast before returning in October to TX. Tomorrow they are going to Bowling Green, KY and will go to the Corvette museum and plant. He is on his 3rd Corvette (has a 2007 C6 red convertible, tan top and oak interior). He put over 100,000 miles on his 2002 that he took delivery at the museum.

So it’s been a normal fun evening at a campground - meeting very nice people.

Had I known about some of the local attractions around here, I might have left a day early and stayed two nights. Just before I got here, I started seeing signs for Loretta Lynn’s Ranch and museum. They’ve even got an RV park there (it’s about 8 miles from me). I ALMOST unhooked Ike and drove up there, but I wouldn’t have made it in time for a tour. I’m told they even moved her Butcher Holler, KY homeplace to the farm. http://www.lorettalynn.com/ranch/ranch.html

There are also some Mennonite communities in the area.

AND… about 20 miles back up the road, I saw a sign for Grinder’s Switch, TN. Hopefully that rings a bell with most of you. If not, Miss Minnie Pearl was ostensibly from that little crossroads. She was really from Centerville, TN (the town near Grinder’s Switch). Minnie Pearl was a member of the Grand Ole Opry and would come onstage (wearing her straw hat with the price tag on it $1.98 I believe) and she would say “HOW-DEE!!! I’m just so proud to be here”. Well that may be more info than you ever wanted to know, but I found it interesting to be in “the neighborhood”. One summer at the Clemson senior adventure camp, my Mother imitated Minnie Pearl as her group from Camden did a Grand Ole Opry skit.

Ok with that I’m going to sign off for the evening.

Bruce and Chessy

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Photos

Buffalo KOA 1
This is my home for tonight. The rig on the right are the folks from NC and the one to my left are the folks from near Dallas, TX. They have a beautiful German Sheppard dog who Chessy visited with.

Buffalo KOA 2
Here's a view of several of our rigs with our toads out in the campground road. You can see just a little bit of Ike at the far end with my bicycle on the back.