Sunday, April 28, 2024

 After a night of heavy rain, we woke up to a soggy campsite with standing water. The rooftop tent is great for this kind of conditions and is much more comfortable than sleeping in a tent on the saturated ground. The stream near the campsite rose about two feet overnight and the ground is so saturated that there were small waterfalls sprouting from the sides of the hills and pouring over the stone steps to hiking trails. 

We walked over to the cafe and dam area where we had dinner the previous night. The picnic grounds were partially submerged and the color of the water in the lake and over the falls had changed from a beautiful clear color to red/brown with all of the silt that had been washed into the river.

The original plan was to spend another day at this beautiful park to explore the trails, but the weather forecast was for more rain and thunderstorms. When we left, we decided to use the longer route out of the park and avoid the road with the hairpin switchbacks.

We entered Oklahoma at 11:30 and stopped at the Visitor’s Center to pick up some maps and local knowledge about the state parks.

The driver on I40 through Oklahoma City made us glad we were doing this part of the trip on a Sunday instead of a weekday. The traffic was quite heavy and there was a lot of road construction with Jersey barriers on both sides of narrowed lanes.

We pulled into Red Rock Canyon Adventure Park about 4:00. This park was previously a state park and is now privately owned. The entrance into the park is down a very steep and winding road through red rock walls. The campsites are along the bottom of the canyon and the color of the walls in the evening was beautiful.

Saturday, April, 27, 2024

 

The weather was overcast and drizzly in the morning, so we packed up our campsite and left around 7:30 in the morning to avoid traffic in Memphis. We crossed the Mississippi River into Arkansas at 8:00. Because of the weather we had planned on finding somewhere to eat breakfast. The highway signs for the historic Brinkley downtown looked interesting so we pulled off the highway looking for coffee and food. The downtown had very nice signs hanging from the light poles advertising the historic downtown, unfortunately the history part seemed the most accurate as most of the buildings were boarded up, closed, or looked abandoned. We try to avoid chain restaurants when traveling but, in this case, ended up at McDonald’s as this was the only restaurant open.

In the early afternoon, after a drive down narrow switchback roads we arrived at Devil’s Den State Park. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was instrumental in building most of the infrastructure in the park. The campground is near a river and is shaded by trees. There has been quite a lot of rain lately so the hiking trail that started near our camp site was underwater.

After some hiking we had an early dinner at the park Cafe by a dam with an impressive waterfall. 

The cafe worker is a local and warned us that there were thunderstorms and severe weather forecast for the evening. We didn’t get much sleep as it POURED rain all night and there were several thunderstorms. The tent was very impressive as it did not leak at all! 

Friday, April 26, 2024

 Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park, Tennessee

The weather in the morning was warm and mostly cloudy. After breakfast we drove down winding tree covered roads, one one-way road, and some narrow roads to a boat launch on the Mississippi River. Dozens of bluebirds swooped across the road in front of us and we had to slow down to avoid hitting them. When we arrived there was one elderly gentleman there who told us about how he had been fishing along this stretch of the river since he was 9 years old and about the houseboat he had built. When he left we had the place to ourselves and spent a few hours sitting by the river. We watched barges being pushed down the river. The current is very fast right now as the river is high, it is probably 4-5 knots. Tree branches were swirling down the river at a high rate of speed.

The park is so beautiful and peaceful we decided to stay another night. Before lunch we went for a hike on a woodland trail. The path wound through oak, cypress, tupelo, and beech trees along a winding brook. The land has eroded around the tree roots and damaged the trees in many places leaving room for younger trees to have a chance at the sunlight. There was just enough of a breeze to keep the bugs away. The sun came out and the temperature rose to the mid 70s.

Thursday, April 25, 2024

 

The sound of the birds singing in the morning was a wonderful way to wake up. We heard wood thrush, robins, cardinals, blue-gray gnatcatchers, and red winged blackbirds. After a leisurely breakfast we folded up the tent and loaded everything back in the car and trailer and headed out.

Our first stop of the day was Pinson Mounds State Archeological Park. The museum is located inside a giant mound. The ranger on duty let us know there was a 20-minute film that we could watch, and he could start it on request. A few minutes later while we were starting to look at displays in the museum he found us to let us know that he would be starting it for some other people and asked if we would like to join them. The film was worth watching as it told about the history of the site and the amount of work that went into building the mounds. The largest mound was 80 feet tall. It is now 72 feet due to erosion. The 1,033 acre site has many mounds of varying sizes and most are believed to have been used to track and predict astrological events. The amount of work that went into digging up the soil using stone and bone tools, carrying it in a basket, then piling it into enormous mounds is staggering to consider. The park has trails through woods and fields and is meticulously maintained. We spent a couple of hours walking and enjoying the nature trail, the view from the top of the tallest mound, and learning more about the history of the site.

The town of Henderson is only a few miles from Pinson, so we made a brief detour on our way to Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park in Millington, TN. The weather deteriorated from mostly cloudy to all rain and it was pouring when we arrived at the park. There were plenty of campsites available and they had one where the electricity was not working. We do not need electricity, so they gave us the site at a discount. Bill also receives senior and military discounts. The price for the campsite for the night was $14.75. The rangers gave us recommendations for places to eat in town since we did not feel like cooking in the rain. We drove into town and had BBQ for dinner then came back to the campsite and used the covered and screened in picnic shelter to read books until bedtime.

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

 The day started with a dead battery, this is the second time this trip that the car needed a jump start. There is some sort of electrical gremlin that has eluded the repair shop for some time now and whenever the car sits for more than two days the battery is drained. We stopped in Baxter, TN to buy a new battery and decided to use the new one for a spare. In the meantime we are taking the fuse out of the trailer wires and the key fob battery out of the spare key to solve the easiest possible issues.

We have been spending quite a lot of time on major highways and wanted a change of pace today. The visitor’s center in Tennessee had hundreds of brochures of things to do and one in particular looked interesting. The 3 Rivers Quilt Trail was started to encourage people to take back roads and to explore the state in a more relaxed manner. There are about 50 quilt designs painted on wooden signs hanging on buildings. We stopped to take photos of a few of the quilt blocks on a beautiful back road in McEwen. While we were parked beside the road Bill had his tools out to check a wheel bearing. A very nice young man, Enoch, stopped to see if we were okay. It turns out that his mother is the one who started the quilt trail and paints most of the signs. He told us about the grist mill that his grandfather started and how he used the power of the water to create electricity for the family houses in the valley. They still grind corn to keep the old traditions alive.

We stopped in Waverly to see a few more of the signs. The Chamber of Commerce was closed but the very kind librarian looked for a map for us. She could not find one on display, so she went to her car to find her map and photocopied one for us. There were classes on how to paint smaller versions and she had attended the class and created a military themed sign to honor her son who is in the military. A local woman gave us directions to a cafe where we had lunch. As we were leaving Waverly we saw several signs, unfortunately there was too much traffic to be able to stop for photos.

The trip to Natchez State Park was an easy drive into Henderson County. The park has several campsites, and we were directed to the Wrangler Camp which is set up for horse camping. There were only about 5 other camp sites being used the night we were there, and one site had two mules who looked like this was not their first camping trip. They were quiet and calm and seemed perfectly content. In the evening, we went for a drive to one of the other campsites near a lake, this was a 20-mile round trip drive. The park is quite large and is on the site of the western spur of the Natchez Trace. Before steamboats were available goods were floated down river to the markets in Natchez then the people would walk back. The highmen and robbers were so prevalent on the main route that the western route was often safer.

This was the first night that we set up the tent and it felt great to finally camp! The tent is very comfortable, and we were warm and dry. After sunset there was a bird calling so loudly that Bill could hear it without his hearing aid. The Merlin Bird Id app identified it as a Chuck-Will’s-Widow.

Monday, April 22 to Tuesday, April 23, 2024

 Monday morning Bill started a repair project for Pat. The floor by the door and the refrigerator was flexing. The initial fear was that there was rot from the door and this would turn into a giant project involving replacing the door and parts of the floor. For the first time in the entire history of house projects the job was easier than anticipated.  When the house was built one of the floor joists was not attached properly.  The job was done in a few hours with the help of the tools from the super nice neighbors.

The ease of the repair gave us time to spend time relaxing in the screen room that Bill had assembled for Pat a few years ago. 

Pat's dog Hannah keeps a sharp eye on the neighborhood.

Tuesday Pat drove us around the area to see the sights.  After running a few errands to the dump and Walmart we visited Loose Threads Quilt Shop.  Bill was thrilled! We had an interesting conversation with one of the staff members, Nana Phyllis, who showed us around and shared stories from her trip around the Southwest a few years ago. 

After we convinced Bill to leave the quilt shop we went for a walk at Cumberland Mountain State Park. 

As we were walking around the lake we thought the trees that had fallen in the water would be a perfect place for a turtle to enjoy the sunshine.  A few minutes later we found these turtles working on their tans. 

This part of Tennessee has many buildings built with local stone. The ranger's house in the park is located on a stream next to a stone bridge. 

There was New Deal project in the 1930s to resettle the area. The Cumberland Homesteads Program built about 250 homes and most of them are still standing.  Quite a few of the homes have been added on to and modernized, but the original structure is still visible. The houses were built primarily with locally quarried sandstone called Crab Orchard stone. 

Sunday, April 21, 2024

 After a relaxing breakfast with Hillary, we headed for Pat's house in Tennessee.  The trip was easy and uneventful with minimal traffic and interesting scenery.

When we were getting close to our destination it seemed like a scene from a time travel story as our current time and our arrival time were the same, but it was still going to take an hour to get there.  Time zone changes are interesting!

Saturday April 20, 2024

 

Saturday morning, we woke up to clouds obscuring the great view from Rick and Robin's house, although the fog and mist made for a beautiful scene.

Route planning should be easy with Google maps, the GPS in the car, and the myriad of paper maps we own. It turns out the easiest way is to ask for directions.  Robin and her friend Shirley had just returned from a trip to Lancaster so Robin contacted Shirley for her directions which we scribbled down on a post-it note.  The directions were great. Thanks Shirley!

We found our way to Hillary's AMAZING house and property in Christiana, Pennsylvania. I finally met her horse, the famous Prissy. I resisted the temptation to take a selfie with her and still feel like one of those people who name drop because they met a celebrity once.  

Her dog, Zeus, packs an astonishing amount of personality and happiness into a small frame.

We went out to dinner with Hillary and Tom and enjoyed a good meal and great company.  

Our room had a stunning view.  We are grateful for the hospitality and the chance to spend time with wonderful people! 

Wednesday, April 17 to Friday, April 19, 2024

We left Maine at 8:00 in the morning on Wednesday, April 17th.  The send off party of Mum, David, Liz, Patsy, Linda, and Bosun was very much appreciated.  The Piscataqua River bridge is the symbol of "home" or "leaving home" and it felt like we were really on our way when we crossed the bridge. 

We had an easy drive to Robin and Rick's new house in Massachusetts. The first evening we celebrated the beginning of the trip by enjoying the delicious going away gift from Fred and Mary. 

We spent a few days with Robin and Rick visiting and helping with a few house projects. Rick and Bill installed a dishwasher, a mailbox post, closet rods, and various other projects. Robin and Susan re-upholstered some chairs, did some organizing, and went to Riverton to deliver stock for two gift shops.  

 

Eric and Sam and their two dogs drove up one night for a visit. Seeing them, hearing about their plans and adventures, playing with the dogs, and delivering Ruth's molasses cookies in person was a treat! 

 

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Welcome to our “land yacht”, version of traveling! We are headed out for a few months to travel around the country. 

Our new trailer does not have a name, so it is sharing the old CORRET blog. (We welcome name suggestions!)

Late last summer we bought a roof top tent. It is relatively easy to set up and take down and we do not have to sleep on the ground. The first time we used it camping we realized that although it is comfortable and roomy there was a downside. If the tent is on top of the roof it has to be packed away before moving the vehicle. We remembered that we owned a utility trailer and thought that would be a more user-friendly option. One thing led to another, and Bill built a very cool travel trailer.

I forgot to take a picture of the trailer in its original form, but it made an accidental appearance in a house project photo. It was an ordinary utility trailer working hard at moving staging. It is now retired from construction work and will be living its best life touring the country.

 This is what the trailer looks like now when it is in travel mode.

When the trailer transforms into a camper this is what it looks like. 

We hit the road on Wednesday and are looking forward to our new adventures. We will be sharing the driving. Bill's 50% of the driving will involve any sections of the day that involve backing up.