Apr 17, 2013 - Homeward Bound (finally)

After missing our tax appointments (Debbie decided to do them herself using Turbo Tax). We also had to reschedule several doctors appointments. After all of that we are finally heading home. But before pulling out we took some neat photos of the campground. It is basically a runway that was purchased and converted into a campground with full hookups. Our first stop for the night will be Knoxville, TN where we will stay the night at the Flying J (Gas and Truck Stop). Beginning Mileage: 23,990.1 Ending Mileage: 24,276.5 Total Mileage: 286.4

Apr 9, 2013 - Nashville To Knoxville

Finally - I found myself in Nashville in April when the 55,000 tulip bulbs were blooming at Cheekwood . What a delightful morning even though it was cloudy and my pictures didn't come out as beautifully as I had hoped. Christopher Cheek came to Nashville in the 1880's and started a grocery business. His cousin, Joel Cheek, developed a "superior blend" of coffee that was served at the best hotel in Nashville at the time. It was called The Maxwell House. In 1928 , C.W. Post (who wanted to own more than a cereal company), bought out the...

Oct 8, 2012 - Integration, The Secret City, & TRAFFIC

We stayed 3 nights in Knoxville at a campground which got much higher ratings in our book than it deserved. It had all the amenities, but the sites were short and narrow. We chose one right near the entrance so we wouldn’t have to navigate through the trees and tight turns down by the water, but since it got cold while we were there we ended up inside most of the time anyway. We had a couple of places we wanted to visit, and since we arrived early on Friday we headed out to the Green McAdoo Cultural Center. First of all, Green McAdoo was a...

May 7, 2012 - Red Clay State Historic Park

It was drizzling when I walked around Red Clay State Park in Cleveland TN but that didn't deter me from enjoying the experience. Red Clay is a 263 acre park that preserves the site of the last Cherokee encampment before they were forced to walk the Trail Of Tears to Oklahoma. The grounds contain replicas of the council house, a farmstead, visitor sleeping huts, corn crib and a barn. There are 16 points of interest on the Cherokee Heritage Trail . They are spread out over three cites - Cleveland, Charleston, and Calhoun. I chose Red Clay...

Feb 20, 2012 - South Lake, Knoxville Tennessee

Camped at South Lake RV Park in Knoxville, TN. Nice walking in the park, around the lake and marina. Chief enjoyed playing in the water, even though he had to walk through ankle deep mud to get to it. Water is down in the lake. Lots of history in the area. See ya next time...

Feb 19, 2012 - Funny Day

Hello! This day has been an amazing day, I will probably never forget it! I started with an big and very saturating breakfast, so I could still my hunger for a few hours. The bus who will take me and other expectant tourists, was waiting for us at 8.00 in the morning at the bus station, and then the roadtrip were started! Our first stop was acctually here in Knoxville, it was an Amusement park with the funny name 'Putt-Putt Golf & Games'. It wasn't really something for me, but if you have children then I think it's an perfect thing to visit...

Feb 19, 2012 - Knoxville, Tennessee

Haowdy! Just like the cowboys say.. ;-) I arrived to Knoxville here in Tennessee today, and dear mother of God what a beautiful place! I have checked in at a hotel called 'Hampton Inn'. It's a big hotel, but pretty small rooms but (as I said before) it's perfect for me who is traveling alone. Since there's not so much to see here in Knoxville then I have planned a roadtrip tomorrow, and my destinations will be; - Graceland. Elvis Presleys home and it's the worlds most visiting place after the White House! - Great Smoky Mountains...

Oct 22, 2011 - Let the fun begin! :)

Off we go on our annual Girls Grand Fall Break Adventure. Baylee's first plane ride. She was MUCH calmer than me... guess that's not such a surprise to those of you who know me. After a brief layover in Philly, we jump back in the big ole jet airliner (uhhh... not'sa much - it was one of those tin can, just a step up from a puddle jumper, kinda contraptions)headed for our final destination - BANGOR, MAINE.

Oct 21, 2011 - Seaford To Knoxville

Smooth sailing to Knoxville today. I made it here in 9 hours ( my friend Kate said it was because it was all down hill!). As soon as I arrived I was whisked away to dinner with Karen ( Kate's daughter) and her family . When we got home, Kate and I stayed up until 11:30 talking about all that has happened since my visit last autumn. Rick, Kate's husband and a good friend to both Tom and me, passed away in May of this year. I missed being greeted by his usual loud hello and smiling face when I arrived. Kate and I used to talk about shared...

Oct 1, 2011 - The Journal Is Moving (and I Hope You'll Come Along!!)

For a number of reasons, I have made the decision to move our travel journal to another location. Use of My Trip Journal began rather hastily as our trip to Colorado was fast approaching and I wanted to document it for our friends and family. I'd done that in years past for a much smaller group, but learned that I truly do enjoy writing it and would like to continue doing so on a permanent basis. Without subscribing to My Trip Journal's premium plan, there are many things I cannot do, one of which is add pictures. I am not willing to pay...

Jul 17, 2011 - Trip Wrap-Up

The questions I am asked most often regarding our travels is how do you decide where to go and how do you decide what you are going to do once you arrive? Neither are easy to answer in writing, but here's the short version. Where we decide to go is generally based on my research into places appropriate for the months we will be traveling. Until Bill retires, our long trip each year will be in May/June, so we will travel to places where weather conditions are favorable then. I have a long list and we just work out way through that list...

May 7, 2011 - Why Colorado?

The candidates for Summer Trip 2011 were: *Hiking in Acadia National Park with several state capitals visited along the way. *Tour of Minnesota *Yellowstone National Park with lots of stops between here and there *Finish exploring the state of Colorado The first two were eliminated because of the dreaded black fly season which occurs between Mother's Day and Father's Day. We innocently encountered this in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan several years ago and I can assure you, it is not something we wish to repeat. Locals expect it and...