We finally found spring!
As we crossed into Alabama yesterday we actually saw flowering trees in bud! Our first sign was last week in New Bern where we had a dandelion in Mom's yard.
We tried to leave New Bern on Tuesday, March 4, but as we were leaving their community, the guard at the gate was telling everyone that the bridge was closed due to accidents. It had iced the night before and most schools had a two hour delay or were cancelled. But it was supposed to be above freezing by 11 and for the next few days, so we thought we could make it. But there is only one bridge over the Neuse River at that point and the detour would be a long way on country roads.
So we went back and spent another day with Mom and Dad. Mom got to cuddle with both dogs some more. Steve got more projects done on the trailer.
Wednesday we were on the road to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for an overnight stop. Steve's nephew, Brian and his wife Katie moved to Winston last year, so we hoped to catch them for dinner. To our surprise, Brian's parents and sister Becky were visiting, so we had dinner with almost the whole family. Steve's niece Kelly was home in Michigan.
The drive through North Carolina was pleasant. Most of the highways are lined with pine trees, which are somehow more calming than corn fields. The coastal part of North Carolina is flat and as you head west, hills emerge and eventually the Appalachian Mountains. Winston-Salem seems to be in the foothills.
The campground in Winston-Salem was a county campground in a county park. It seemed more like a small state park. The campsites were full hookups (electricity, water and sewer) and paved. There were trees throughout. Walking, biking, and horseback trails wound through the park and there was a golf course with a nice club house. Just an excellent facility. Steve's family met us at the campground, as the park also has a dog park where Brian takes his dogs. They wanted to see our trailer, so we gave them the grand tour. We had a very nice dinner with them and then headed back to the campground.
Thursday found us up early and headed out to Johnson City, Tennessee. Molly and Nick live there with their 3 kids and we hadn't been to see them since they moved from Indiana. Steve found a campground about 20 minutes away from their house, so we headed there to park the trailer.
I knew we were in Appalachia, but I still expect my campgrounds to be flat. Surprise!
The road to get to the campground was one lane wide and warned that it was a two lane road. It was gravel. We turned uphill to get to registration. Luckily, the owner and his wife led the way to our site and guided Steve to back in. It helped that there was a road opposite our campsite! But it was a nice campsite. The view out the back was of the small stream that ran through the campground and the woods behind it.
Some of the campsites had small gazebos that sheltered the picnic table and one of those was actually over the stream. I suspect the campground will be lovely when things green up. There were daffodils next to our site that were trying to bloom!
After we got the trailer settled, we headed into Johnson City to see Molly's family. We were so busy visiting that the only picture I took was of Molly's Purdue Tennessee license plate.
Steve asked her how she managed that and she said to ask Nick. Of course we forgot to ask Nick. They showed us around Eastern Tennessee's campus and found two restaurants that I could eat at (I had pizza for dinner!) And we got to play with the kids. Will's been practicing his guitar and has improved greatly since I last heard him. Clara and I got to play dolls, but not for nearly long enough and I watched Fritz play Lego's while Molly and Steve picked up Will and Clara from school. They have a very busy schedule, so we were delighted we got to spend time with them!
Saturday, Molly's family headed for Nashville where Nick was to give a paper and Steve and I headed towards Chattanooga, Tennessee. (I managed to spell Chattanooga without the spell checker correcting me!) Originally we were going to be headed home after visiting Molly, but it's still too cold! So we're headed for Dallas.
We both love national parks, so we keep an eye out for national parks, preserves, forests, etc along our travels. Tennessee is north of both Alabama and Georgia and Chattanooga is almost in all three states. Just southwest of that is the Little River Canyon National Preserve. Steve found a nice campground near there and we reached it in the early afternoon. They had daffodils blooming!
The canyon drops about 400 feet from the ridge. The sides are steep. There is a road that follows the canyon and all the trails are labeled arduous and steep. Its a very unique landscape on top of a mountain. Because the park preserves the canyon, specifically, it's fairly narrow and sometimes you can see fields and houses through the trees.
Sunday we headed for Tupelo, Mississippi, birthplace of Elvis and the park headquarters for the Natchez Trace Parkway. I didn't know a lot about the Natchez Trace, but had always been intrigued by it. The Natchez Trace was the trail used to return to the Midwest after goods were floated down the Mississippi to Natchez or New Orleans in the 1700's. It actually was a migratory trail for buffalo first and then used by Indians for centuries. The Spanish even used it to explore the south in the 1500's. In the 1700's it would have taken a week to float goods down the Ohio and Mississippi and four or 5 weeks to walk from Natchez to Nashville, TN, where they could use the Cumberland River to get to the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
Portions of the original trail still exist and most are within the Natchez Trace Parkway boundaries. We'll be driving the parkway from Tupelo to Jackson, Mississippi on Monday. Tonight we are staying at Trace State Park outside of Tupelo. We have a site overlooking the lake. Obi, however, wants nothing to do with that much water! He plants all fours and won't go near it!
So, tomorrow we head south to Jackson, making stops along the trace. I'm looking forward to it!
More later.
Deb
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