June 18 - 24, 2013 Shenandoah National Park and Surrounds

We are in Luray, Virginia at a beautiful RV park on the Shenandoah River.   This is our base as we explore Shenandoah National Park; the northern end of the Blue Ridge Highway.

 

Ticks:   These little buggers are becoming a huge problem on the dogs.  I took the pugs for a long walk along the river and on my way checked out the park’s bathrooms.  Everything was gleaming, but it was also quite tick-ish, with the little monsters scuttling up the sides of the shower.   Not appealing.  Resigned to a “sailors’ shower”  in the camper, I took the dogs back and combed them for ticks.   I then prepared myself for my shower.   Peter burst through the bathroom door when I began screaming.  A tick had embedded itself in my hair… . . . . not my head hair, not my leg hair, not my underarm hair, not my facial hair (I’m through menopause, o.k.?)   Peter ran to get his special  tick-pulling, locking tweezers.  “Okay,” he ordered, “Go lie down on your back on the bed.”   Hmmm this was an invitation I’ve been waiting for, but not quite in these terms.   “Now lie still.” He’s never said this before under these conditions-----me, naked on the bed, him bending over by nether region.    One quick yank and it was over.  I scrambled off the bed and Peter hastened outside to dump the tick.  Okay, that was fast.

 

Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library:   I didn’t know a lot about Woodrow Wilson and what I did know came from the political comedy of the Capitol Steps, when during one of their “Spoonerism productions” the performer would say, “And then Woodrow Wilson won World War One.”   This always gets  a big laugh because all of the words start the same sound and flipping the first sound makes no difference.   As it turns out  President Wilson has some wonderful quotes of his own:

 

“A conservative is a man who sits and thinks------mostly sits.”

 

“The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history.”

 

“No nation is fit to sit in judgment upon any other nation.”

 

“Life does not consist in thinking; it consists in acting.”

 

“If you want to make enemies, try to change something.”

 

“The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.”

 

 

The fact that Wilson was a Presbyterian resonated with me.   He has some other rather scathing quotes about the other party; but these were the ones I liked.

 

 

 

 

 

Shenandoah National Park:  We ventured into the mountains to gather information from the Visitors Center.   Through a movie there we learned that the entire park was constructed by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps).  After the government moved the farmers out of the Shenandoah area, they began construction of the Park.   This was happening right around the depression and part of Roosevelt’s plan was to take a generation of young people who were in poverty and give them a chance to do something constructive as well as help out their families.    Shenandoah National Park was one of Roosevelt’s endeavors.  The young men came from families in the local area.    It was their job to build roadways, trails, contours, flood control channels and buildings.  The boys in the Corps ranged in age from 18 – 25.    They came from families on public assistance.   The boys were paid $30 per month---$25 of which went to their families.   In addition to learning building skills, the boys were instructed in the evenings in reading, writing and math.    This is the group that fell between WWI and WWII.  No wonder--- they did so well; they provided money to their parents and honed their basic skills.   They also learned the skill of working together. 

 

 

Hiking

 

            One of the primary goals was to hike in Shenandoah National Park.   Neither hike went well.   On our first hike up one of the mountains, I fell and scraped my right calf.  It wasn’t too bad so we     I’m glad we did.   Wonderful views at the top and a deer spotting that was great-----until the dogs barked.
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Our second hike took us up a trail to a lovely waterfall, then along  a stream, and finally up and out past another waterfall.  I was doing fine until I had to go pee-pee (we call urination by this name because it’s the one the pugs know).   By the time I’d told Peter, I had waited too long.  I threw my pack on the ground and scrambled up through the bushes to a fairly discreet spot.  As I crouched I could feel my arms and legs stinging and then itching.  I scratched furiously (not easy when you are 57 and trying to crouch, urinate and scratch all at once.   I finally managed to stand up (I’m a little stiff these days), scratched like crazy again and began carefully picking my way back down to the trail.   I was just crossing this little rock/boulder slide when I lost my balance.  My legs shot horizontally downhill, my bottom and lower back hit the rocks, I thumped and then bumped down toward Peter where I came to a stop.   As Peter rushed over to me I began honking like an ah-ooooo-ga horn, due to having had the wind knocked out of me.  All I remember is Peter saying, “Oh my God! Oh my God!” over and over.  Realizing he was starting to panic, I told. him I was okay and he pulled me to my feet.  He also found my glasses which were a mangled mess.   I knew I hadn’t broken anything and was mostly scrapes and bruises  so I insisted we finish the hike.   Peter bent my glasses back into shape and we were off.    It was a beautiful hike, and Walter and Jaxon had a tremendous time running in and out of the stream.   What you see below is my right buttocks.    That’s the whole buttocks and the whole bruise.   One of many from my left ring finger which is totally purple to the backs of my knees.  Thank goodness I brought an extra pair of glasses.

 

June 17, 2013 Natural Bridge, Useful Ridges, Stonewall Jackson and Walter

 

 

 

With the motorhome back and running better than ever, we have cruised well into Virginia.   We found ourselves at Natural Bridge, VA.  in a KOA campground.   People here take their camping seriously.  Last night was karaoke-----all  Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard.   Yeehah!   Actually the natural bridge is a wonder-----278 feet high; surveyed by George Washington (who carved his initials

into the rocks) and purchased by Thomas Jefferson.

 

This was a beautiful stroll along the stream that carved the bridge up to a waterfall----this is what I love about this trip.

 

 

 

Next was a drive up another stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway.   We were set to take several hikes.   The first one was an exploration of an old logging track complete with the rails they used to move the    I knew the frontiersmen had logged this area, but the sophistication of building railroads to move the logs to canals (dug by slaves) and from there to the mills did not occur to me.   It explains the concept behind the Blue Ridge Parkway----the leveling for the roadbed had partly been done for the railroad.

logs out.

 

Finally, some famous names history.   Stonewall Jackson spent most of his life in Lexington, VA (this is his house), and Robert E. Lee retired here after the Civil War.   Jackson taught at Washington and Lee University and Lee ran the University.   In fact Robert E. Lee is buried at the University, along with most of his family and his horse, Traveller.   People had sprinkled baby carrots on Travellers’ grave stone.   It made my relationship with the pugs seem almost normal.   Which brings me to. . . . . . .

 

Walter and Jaxon have been real troopers, hiking over ridge and dale, scrambling under trees and fences.   All this outdoorsy activity has resulted in a new protocol when we return to the camper.    Jaxon tolerates this activity; but Walter relishes it!   See the video at :   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmLIEYfljDY&feature=youtu.be

June 13, 2013 Back in the Saddle Again!

We have the motorhome back!   Now we are poor, but happy.  It took Peter two trips to Charlotte, NC to finally get all the parts to the repair guys.  I think Walter was the most excited to get back into the motorhome.   He would not stop running in circles and barking.    We decided to give ourselves an extra day to just hang out, clean and organize.    We both deemed this necessary because the young men who worked on the motorhome were just that----young-----careless------impulsive--just in my opinion.   I do have evidence.    The grease rag left on top of the exhaust pipe.  A couple of connectors left undone.   The fact that Peter is insisting on having a day to go through EVERYTHING before he gets back on the freeway.   On the other hand.    This is a lovely place.   We are by the Blue Ridge Parkway in the hills of Virginia.   It's clear to see why Scots and Irish settled here.   It looks a lot like their homeland-----only with trees. Oh!  Oh!  Peter is going to try to start the motorhome again. . . . . . .thank God.

June 9, 2013 Battlefields, Prehistoric Natives, Metalmetamorphis

We are headed for Charlotte, NC to pick up the fuel injector pump for the motorhome.   Once we get it, we will deliver it to Low Gap, NC and wait while the guys install it.   We've pretty much seen all there is to see in North Carolina.    Before we left the Outer Banks we made one last trip to the Wright Brothers' memorial.   We did the inside exhibits without pugs.   What struck me most was how systematic the Wright Brothers were.   They began by questioning the conventional wisdom about flight available at the time.   They looked at every part of the design.   They built countless ailerons and tested them in a wind tunnel they built.   They gathered data and found the best design.   They also worked on wing design and tested different types by hang gliding off the dunes.   I had no idea.   The museum also had tributes to all the people who have contributed to flight (e.g., Chuck Yeager, Amelia Earhardt, the Tuskeegee Airmen).   No Bill Boeing, however.




Our next stop was the Battle of Bentonville.   What can I say?   Large, grassy areas ringed by woods. We did get to see a re-enactment of a small skirmish between the men in blue and the men in gray.    The gunfire caused the pugs to bark hysterically, so we tucked them into the car and did the cell phone tour of the battle site.





We continued south and drove inland to see some Indian Mounds.    After a long drive, we arrived to find the place closed.   Undaunted, we took the pugs and approached the site wall.   I noticed the wall was sparse on the backside, so we squeezed though some uprights and toured the grounds/mounds on our own.   Getting out of the enclosure was a little tricky, but squeezing and pushing reluctant pugs through accomplished the goal.   We also had the added benefit of getting to spend time picking ticks off ourselves and the pugs!

As we approached Charlotte, I suggested we go see this cool statue in a business park called "Metalmorphosis".   This turned out to be a very cool stop.   The statue is a digitized metal head.    The cool part is that it morphs into weird abstract shapes then reassembles itself.   See YouTube video:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGCln17yUn0

June 4, 2014 Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

Killing time while waiting to move into our newly found house across the street from the beach in Kill Devil Hills, we decided to mosey down to Kitty Hawk and check out the Wright brothers scene.   Wow!   My absolute favorite kind of a site!   It had:  a  beautiful memorial to the aviators, with a moving inscription honoring the brothers for their courage, quest for understanding, imagination and persistence.   Very inspiring.  

 

 

Also, the playground for children had a huge climbing model built to scale of the plane the Wright brothers flew, as well as statues in situ of the other people who were present when the brothers made their first flight.  

 

 

 

Finally, completely to scale, there was the actual monorail the brothers used to launch the flight, and granite markers showing how far the plane went on each trial.   Wow!   We couldn’t visit the inside museums because the pug boys were with

us, but we are heading back once we get settled in!  

 

 

 

 

Green arrow is the lst flight--12 seconds

Aqua arrow is the 2nd flight

Pink arrow is the 3rd flight

Yellow arrow is the 4th flight---275 yards!

 

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 1, 2013 Alternative Plans

The news arrived that the motorhome needs a new fuel injector pump (the most complicated part on a diesel engine----this is also a spendy item and it will take a while to arrive in LowGap, North Carolina.   Determined to keep up our spirits, I suggested we be adventurous and head for the coast----rent a house on the beach!    Amazingly, Peter agreed and we set off across North Carolina heading for the Outer Banks where I had found a house for a reasonable price right on the beach----and they were willing to take the pugs!   Our luck was changing!

     As we drove across the bridge to Hatteras Island our excitement started to build.   We had to go all the way up to the top of the island to get to the house.  As I looked at the map, I realized this might be a little remote.   It was getting late in the day (7:00 p.m.) and I hoped we could find the house in the dark.   Suddenly, the road ended and we were directed to drive onto the beach.   You know, like Long Beach, Washington.   There was a warning that I barely glanced at that ONLY 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES SHOULD VENTURE BEYOND THIS POINT.   But keeping with our family credo that warnings are for “weenies” and don’t apply to us, Peter hurled through the sand.   We arrived on the hard-packed sand safely, confirming our belief that sand and snow are pretty much the same.     Peter kept up the speed as we shot down the beach, veering off the hardpack when the water swept in.   It was pretty rough and bumpy; at one point I glanced back to see the pugs bouncing around like ping-pong balls.   They didn’t look happy.   Finally, Peter took a terrible turn, the car died and we found ourselves mired in the sand.   “What now?” I asked.   “I guess we get out and dig.”  Peter replied.  Upon opening the door, the pugs shot out.   Jaxon was shaking like a leaf.   I dutifully began digging sand out from beneath the tires only to find we were high-centered on a mini dune.   At that point some teenagers cruised by in their truck with giant tires.  They slowed down and I heard one of them say to his girlfriend, “Look at that old lady digging her car out of the sand.”  I looked around for the old lady in question. . . . . . oh!

            The next car past was a couple of nice guys who pulled us out of the sand.   Peter announced he was done with the house on the beach and, after the nice men had let a lot of air out of our tires we headed back down the beach toward civilization-----much to the pugs dismay as it was still very bumpy.  As we approached the exit from the beach and entre onto the paved road,  Peter gritted out, “Hold on!”   Once again, we became mired in the sand.   This time, there was a tow truck----the driver of which is supporting his family in a beach-front home with caviar three times a week.   He took more air out of our tires and pulled us up to the pavement---only $200.  “It’s too bad you’re not going to get to see the wild Spanish ponies.”  I understood him because he was from Tacoma.   I looked pleadingly at Peter.    “Screw the ponies! Get in the car.”    We were off.   Headed for the Travel Lodge---they take pets!   We will have a new plan by tomorrow!

May 30, 2013 Chilling in Fancy Gap, North Carolina

It looks as though we may be staying here in Fancy Gap for longer than we had planned.   Just as we headed up the last hill in North Carolina, the motorhome suddenly quit.   On the freeway. Going uphill.   Fortunately we had enough momentum to make it over to the emergency parking strip.  As giant trucks and screaming cars whizzed by Peter began troubleshooting.  Fearing an oncoming truck was set to collide with the motorhome I took the pugs and withdrew to the trees-----behind the motorhome and out of danger.    Eventually, Peter came out and suggested that I take the car and go wait for him on the next exit.   He was planning to call a tow truck using his "Good Sam" sources.  The pugs and I headed for the Hampton Inn to await his call.   After nearly an hour, during which the pugs and I enjoyed a Dairy Queen vanilla cone, the phone rang.   Peter had located a tow company and he was ready for me to come back.   I arrived before the tow truck and emptied the motorhome of
all I could----everything I might need.   Throwing things out the door minimized my time in our potential death trap.   Just as I had thrown the last of  my items into the car, the tow truck showed up.  (See picture below).

This is what it takes to pull a motorhome.   The man, who was only slightly taller than me yet weighed at least twice as much as I do, jumped down from the driver's seat.   All fear of being killed in a rear-end collision faded as I marveled at this man (who spoke to me occasionally---but I couldn't understand him).   "Nimble" is the word I would use to describe him as he wriggled under the  motorhome to hook up chains for towing and disconnected the drive train to save the automatic transmission.  He was impervious to the scream of the trucks and cars as they whizzed by just inches from his feet.   He finally emerged grease-encrusted and sweating and announced a jumble of words which Peter told me meant we were to follow him to the garage, located in Low Gap, North Carolina.  I was starting to see a pattern in the naming of the towns.
     We are now spending our days hiking the area as a team of mechanics (one of whom looks younger than my grandsons!) work on the motorhome.   Actually, I've yet to see them work.   When we visit there are scatterings of tools underneath the motorhome and inside around the engine compartment, but sightings of people working appear to be rare.   This is causing Peter to make daily visits.   Oh! and I have this weird rash on my left shoulder.    After much urging by my loved ones I went to the walk-in clinic-----in Hicksville---no!  Peter says it's Hillsville!   The doctor (who's nameplate did not say Dr.) diagnosed me with shingles!     Also my stretch on the side of the freeway in the grass---which was blooming and going to seed has caused an allergic reaction causing my eyes to swell almost shut.    No pictures of me for a while!   Tomorrow it's off to Mt. Airy---the home of Andy Griffith---and the town on which Mayberry was based!